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

Smoke could be seen in the busy Haret Hreik neighborhood, with one video circulated on social media showing dozens of people crowded around the area of the strike, which appeared to be on an apartment building. —NPR, 23 Nov. 2025

But nothing beats a walk through my Irvington neighborhood or a hike through Fort Harrison State Park with my dog. —Ryan Martin, IndyStar, 23 Nov. 2025

In the meantime, Harp had found an older woman in her neighborhood, the mother of one of Rodriguez’s teachers at the shuttered center, to take care of the baby during the days. —Lauren Hilgers, Harpers Magazine, 23 Nov. 2025

Looking for work in big cities, entire families have left the grandma’s neighborhood and the responsibility of maintaining those houses, airing them out when needed, somehow fell onto her. —Tomris Laffly, Variety, 23 Nov. 2025

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