the suburbs
plural noun
: towns or other areas where people live in houses near a larger city
the suburbs of Chicago
also
: one of the suburbs of a city
She left the city and moved to the suburbs.
Examples of the suburbs in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Fringe areas on the outskirts of Denver proper and the suburbs are enticing for new locations.
—
Max Scheinblum, Denver Post, 6 Jan. 2026
During the postwar years, though, tens of thousands of white parishioners chose to move to new enclaves in the city and the suburbs as, owing to the Great Migration, the Black population, long sequestered on the South Side, grew and expanded into other neighborhoods.
—Paul Elie, New Yorker, 5 Jan. 2026
Phillip Sitter covers the suburbs for the Des Moines Register.
—Phillip Sitter, Des Moines Register, 5 Jan. 2026
Folks coming downtown from the suburbs know Metra trains long have run 10 minutes late (or later) too often, and the CTA can be hit or miss.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 2 Jan. 2026
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Max Scheinblum, Denver Post, 6 Jan. 2026
During the postwar years, though, tens of thousands of white parishioners chose to move to new enclaves in the city and the suburbs as, owing to the Great Migration, the Black population, long sequestered on the South Side, grew and expanded into other neighborhoods.
—Paul Elie, New Yorker, 5 Jan. 2026
Phillip Sitter covers the suburbs for the Des Moines Register.
—Phillip Sitter, Des Moines Register, 5 Jan. 2026
Folks coming downtown from the suburbs know Metra trains long have run 10 minutes late (or later) too often, and the CTA can be hit or miss.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 2 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for the suburbs
Cite this Entry
“The suburbs.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20suburbs. Accessed 8 Jan. 2026.
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