Windy City
Americannoun
noun
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.
It just gives you a funny feeling that they've got something special rolling in the Windy City.
From BBC ● Jan. 17, 2026
It’s a charming barrio, and it’s been under siege, like many other neighborhoods in the Windy City.
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
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
