city-state
noun
ˈsi-tē-ˌstāt 
also -ˈstāt
: an autonomous state consisting of a city and surrounding territory
Examples of city-state in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
With crops failing and fears of starvation rising, some wealthy Italian city-states like Florence and Venice imported grain from elsewhere in the world.
—
Evan Bush, NBC news, 4 Dec. 2025
An ensuing grain shortage threatened to spark a famine or civil unrest, so Italian city-states, such as Venice and Genoa, resorted to emergency imports from the Black Sea region, which helped keep the population fed.
—Jacopo Prisco, CNN Money, 4 Dec. 2025
Last but not least, Robert House (aka Mr. House) is the enigmatic ruler of New Vegas; he's kept a fragile peace and formed a city-state that 'works' when everything doesn't.
—Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 19 Oct. 2025
Grace Fu has served as Singapore's environmental chief since 2020, allocating nearly $4 billion to coastal resilience projects in the low-lying city-state while leading international negotiations on climate policy.
—Elisabeth Brier, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for city-state
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Evan Bush, NBC news, 4 Dec. 2025
An ensuing grain shortage threatened to spark a famine or civil unrest, so Italian city-states, such as Venice and Genoa, resorted to emergency imports from the Black Sea region, which helped keep the population fed.
—Jacopo Prisco, CNN Money, 4 Dec. 2025
Last but not least, Robert House (aka Mr. House) is the enigmatic ruler of New Vegas; he's kept a fragile peace and formed a city-state that 'works' when everything doesn't.
—Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 19 Oct. 2025
Grace Fu has served as Singapore's environmental chief since 2020, allocating nearly $4 billion to coastal resilience projects in the low-lying city-state while leading international negotiations on climate policy.
—Elisabeth Brier, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for city-state
Cite this Entry
“City-state.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/city-state. Accessed 8 Dec. 2025.
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