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The Suburbs vs. the Urbs
Given that most of the common words in our language beginning sub- tend to have meanings concerned with “beneath” (as in subterranean and submarine) or “less than” (as with subpar), you would be forgiven for assuming that the suburbs were so named because of their location below, or their status as less than, their urban counterparts. Not so, however: sub- may have other meanings at the beginning of a word; in this case, it indicates not depth or inferiority, but proximity. In other words, the suburbs are a region close to the urbs.
Is urbs an English word? Yes; it is rarely used, but it refers typically to a city, particularly when distinguished from a suburb.
Examples of urban in a Sentence
Tara Molina, CBS News, 26 May 2026
The six-month-old cub's unexplained presence in New York's largest urban green space gave rise to a 10-year mystery.
—Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 26 May 2026
Army officials expect the lighter launcher to improve troop movement during long patrols, urban combat missions, and rapid deployments.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 26 May 2026
Our urban centers have run out of capacity for significantly expanding our airports and freeways.
—Mercury News & East Bay Times Editorial Boards, Mercury News, 26 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for urban
Cite this Entry
“Urban.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/urban. Accessed 2 Jun. 2026.
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urban
adjective
