city

noun

ˈsi-tē 

plural cities

often attributive

1

a

: an inhabited place of greater size, population, or importance than a town or village

We spent the weekend in the city.

b

: an incorporated British town usually of major size or importance having the status of an episcopal see

c capitalized

(1)

: the financial district of London

(2)

: the influential financial interests of the British economy

d

: a usually large or important municipality in the U.S. governed under a charter granted by the state

e

: an incorporated municipal unit of the highest class in Canada

2

: city-state

3

: the people of a city

The city rebelled against the oppressive government.

4

slang : a thing, event, or situation that is strongly characterized by a specified quintessential feature or quality

The movie was shoot-out city.

Getting lost in the maze was panic city.

Synonyms

• asphalt jungle
• burg
• cosmopolis
• megacity
• megalopolis
• metropolis
• municipality
• town

Examples of city in a Sentence

major cities like London, Tokyo, and Rome

The city is working to make the streets safer.

a lawsuit against the city

Recent Examples on the Web

But unlike those big cities, Grants Pass doesn't have the same forms of assistance to offer unhoused residents, Evangelis said. —Claire Thornton, USA TODAY, 17 Apr. 2024

Digital theft is a growing problem around the world, and not just in crowded cities, where a simple skim (i.e., scan) of your bag could give thieves access to your name, address, credit card numbers, and expiration dates. —Kristy Alpert, Travel + Leisure, 17 Apr. 2024

Despite the vote, city officials could soon gain more leeway to clear encampments. —Calmatters, The Mercury News, 17 Apr. 2024

Milwaukee is one of the worst cities ranked for weed Milwaukee ranked No. 43, landing it amongst the worst ten cities in the country for weed, according to the report. —Alex Groth, Journal Sentinel, 17 Apr. 2024

Along with the opening ceremony on the Seine, the competitions will also be held at iconic Parisian landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower, Versailles Palace and Place de la Concorde, as well as in sites across seven more cities in France and in Tahiti. —Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 17 Apr. 2024

These downtown Miami buildings—an experiment in a new type of almost-hotel—are underway as cities around the world look to restrict short-term rentals to combat rising housing costs. —Amanda Hoover, WIRED, 17 Apr. 2024

A lot about what happened isn't known because police and city officials have declined to talk about details while the criminal case is pending. —Kevin Grasha, The Enquirer, 16 Apr. 2024

Mosul is home to the ancient city of Nineveh, famous for its five gates. —Ari Shapiro, NPR, 16 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English citie large or small town, from Anglo-French cité, from Medieval Latin civitat-, civitas, from Latin, citizenship, state, city of Rome, from civis citizen — more at hind

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing city

• anti-city
• big-city
• central city
• city centre
• city clerk
• city council
• city desk
• city editor
• city father
• city hall
• city manager
• city planning
• city room
• city slicker
• city-state
• core city
• edge city
• fat city
• free city
• garden city
• holy city
• independent city
• inner city
• inter-city
• open city
• sister city
• tent city
• the big city
• the city

Kids Definition

city

noun

ˈsit-ē 

plural cities

1

: a place in which people live that is larger or more important than a town

2

: the people of a city

Etymology

Middle English citie "large or small town," from early French cité (same meaning), derived from Latin civitas "state of being a resident of a town, citizenship," from civis "citizen" — related to citizen, civil