neighborhood

noun

neigh·​bor·​hood ˈnā-bər-ˌhu̇d 

1

: neighborly relationship

… a closer feeling of brotherhood, a more efficient sense of neighborhood …

—Nathaniel Hawthorne

2

: the quality or state of being neighbors : proximity

… refugees from the country, driven by fear or the neighborhood of armies.

—F. L. Paxson

3

a

: a place or region near : vicinity

somewhere in the neighborhood of that city

b

: an approximate amount, extent, or degree

cost in the neighborhood of $100

4

a

: the people living near one another

The whole neighborhood heard about it.

b

: a section lived in by neighbors and usually having distinguishing characteristics

a quiet neighborhood

5

: the set (see set entry 2 sense 21) of all points belonging to a given set whose distances from a given point are less than a given positive (see positive entry 1 sense 4e) number

broadly : a set that contains a neighborhood

Synonyms of neighborhood

• vicinity
• tune

Examples of neighborhood in a Sentence

They bought a house in a beautiful neighborhood.

The whole neighborhood heard about it.

Recent Examples on the Web

Daily specials are also worth checking out; the Saturday Cumbria Cowboy steak for two and the Sunday lasagna (with fennel sausage ragu) have both achieved cult-classic status in the neighborhood. —Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 May 2026

At the same time, many longtime Black residents have been displaced from historically Black neighborhoods due to rising costs, lack of homeownership protections and uneven economic investment. —Chicago Tribune, 23 May 2026

The Page academy took up seven acres in the Wilshire-Pico neighborhood, operating a small village of classrooms, dormitories, a printing press, a woodworking shop, and a miniature steam railroad for ferrying the boys around the campus. —Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 22 May 2026

Liquor store owners have rallied their support behind a lawsuit that would prevent Kansas City’s ban on the sale of mini-liquor bottles and single servings of beer in certain neighborhoods. —Jack Harvel, Kansas City Star, 22 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing neighborhood

• in the neighborhood
• in the neighborhood of
• neighborhood watch

Rhymes for neighborhood

• adulthood
• babyhood
• brotherhood
• cottonwood
• fatherhood
• firewood
• fuelwood
• hardihood
• ironwood
• leatherwood
• likelihood
• livelihood

Kids Definition

neighborhood

noun

neigh·​bor·​hood ˈnā-bər-ˌhu̇d 

1

: the quality or state of being neighbors

2

a

: a place or region near : vicinity

b

: a number or amount near

cost in the neighborhood of $10

3

a

: the people living near one another

b

: a section lived in by people who consider themselves neighbors