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

While many travelers speed past Lyon on the TGV en route to more bucolic points south, in recent years the friendly, walkable city has come into its own thanks to neighborhoods like Confluence, a starchitect's playground. —Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Feb. 2026

Unidos and the handful of other local groups training observers last year adopted tactics that proved effective elsewhere, including the use of whistles to alert neighborhood residents to the presence of ICE agents. —Nick Woltman, Twin Cities, 22 Feb. 2026

Born April 28, 1950 in the Bronx neighborhood of New York City, Colón learned to play trumpet and trombone from a young age, signing to Fania Records at age 15. —Glenn Garner, Deadline, 21 Feb. 2026

As automobile production transformed Detroit into one of the wealthiest industrial cities in the country, fortunes made in manufacturing financed the construction of grand estates throughout neighborhoods such as Palmer Woods and Boston-Edison. —Brendel Clark, Freep.com, 21 Feb. 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