city

noun, often attributive \ ˈsi-tē \

|Updated on: 8 Jul 2018

Examples: city in a Sentence

plural cities

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.

See city defined for English-language learners

See city defined for kids

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 of city from the Web

Nelson said the city was looking into legal options and boasted a free Labor Day celebration that will — hopefully — be complete with fireworks.

— michael williams, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Apopka mayor apologizes after July Fourth fireworks flop," 6 July 2018
And of course Lou Malnati’s, a must for deep-dish pizza lovers looking to indulge the city’s most famous dish.

— Billboard, "5 Summer Music Festivals Foodies Can't Miss," 6 July 2018
Kenneth Jarrett, president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai, said that a sense of anxiety has settled over business in the port city.

— danielle paquette, emily rauhala, Anchorage Daily News, "Trade war set to escalate as Fed warns of economic hit," 6 July 2018
Baltimore firefighters responded to several blazes Wednesday across the city’s westside while also preparing to respond to the official Fourth of July fireworks celebration downtown — and unofficial displays elsewhere.

— doug donovan, baltimoresun.com, "Before evening fireworks, Baltimore crews face several fires across the city," 5 July 2018
However, with the help of Rochester, N.Y., Mayor Lovely Warren, who Jaisaan happened to be interning with, his speech was not only heard by the people in the school but the whole city, and now the whole nation.

— breanna edwards, The Root, "Principal Stops School's 1st Black Valedictorian from Giving Speech, So Rochester, N.Y., Mayor Gives Him Platform," 5 July 2018
Officials claim the number of arson fires has declined by almost 53% since Judge has been working for the city.

— grant suneson and john harrington, USA TODAY, "The 25 most heroic dogs in America," 5 July 2018
The city is easily accessible from the rest of Europe.

— rick barrett, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Castles and bikes: Harley riders from around the world roll into Prague," 5 July 2018
Evidence of the rebels' attempt to hide under the city includes intact oil lamps and ceramic pots that were found whole in the sewer itself.

— yori yalon, Jewish Journal, "Rare coin minted 1,900 years ago discovered in Jerusalem," 5 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'city.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of city

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

city Synonyms

Synonyms

burg, cosmopolis, megalopolis, metropolis, municipality, town;

Related Words

borough;

urban sprawl;

exurb, suburb, suburbia;

central city, edge city, garden city;

core city, downtown, inner city, midtown;

CITY Defined for English Language Learners

city

noun

: a place where people live that is larger or more important than a town : an area where many people live and work
: the people in a city
the city : the government of a city