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The Suburbs vs. the Urbs
Given that most of the common words in our language beginning sub- tend to have meanings concerned with “beneath” (as in subterranean and submarine) or “less than” (as with subpar), you would be forgiven for assuming that the suburbs were so named because of their location below, or their status as less than, their urban counterparts. Not so, however: sub- may have other meanings at the beginning of a word; in this case, it indicates not depth or inferiority, but proximity. In other words, the suburbs are a region close to the urbs.
Is urbs an English word? Yes; it is rarely used, but it refers typically to a city, particularly when distinguished from a suburb.
Examples of urban in a Sentence
Jeremy Lybarger, Artforum, 2 June 2026
For the past 40 years, Boise State football’s blue turf has drawn jokes and jabs, and there has been that urban myth about how all manner of birds were mistaking the field for a giant pond, resulting in their crashing-landing like a quarterback taking a big hit from a charging linebacker.
—Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 2 June 2026
Yet across Florida, families in every region still experience food insecurity, from rural communities to urban centers like Miami-Dade and Broward counties.
—Sky Beard, Sun Sentinel, 2 June 2026
His candidacy has drawn national attention as a barometer for dissatisfaction with liberal urban governance and because of viral videos that supporters created with artificial intelligence.
—Michael R. Blood, Fortune, 2 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for urban
Cite this Entry
“Urban.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/urban. Accessed 4 Jun. 2026.
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urban
adjective
