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Windy City

American  

noun

  1. Chicago, Ill. (used as a nickname).


Windy City British  

noun

  1. informal Chicago, Illinois

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Usage

What does Windy City mean? Windy City is a popular nickname for Chicago, Illinois. How is Windy City pronounced?[ win-dee sit-ee ]

Etymology

Origin of Windy City

First recorded in 1855–60

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The couple chose the Jackson Park neighbourhood on the South Side for the 19.3-acre campus, near their Windy City home ahead of moving to the White House.

From BBC • Jun. 18, 2026

They’ve become the fall soundtrack of the Windy City to the point organizers are holding “Whistlemania” events to hand them out by the thousands.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 9, 2025

The couple, who wed in 2023, have been splitting their time between the Windy City, where they now have a home, and Texas, where Biles is originally from.

From MarketWatch • Oct. 23, 2025

Cheryl Wolf, 57, a certified public accountant in Chicago who moved to the Windy City from Texas, said the aggressive immigration enforcement is unsettling.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 8, 2025

She’s had her fun, her little party, all those distractions in the Windy City, but there are a lot of miles of farmland in between Illinois and Pittsburgh.

From "A Heart in a Body in the World" by Deb Caletti

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