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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
Matthew Villafane,
CBS News,
29 June 2026
In urban areas, municipal departments run things, while the Texas Department of Public Safety frequently manages highway collisions.
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William Jones,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
29 June 2026
Gray is one of seven Democratic candidates seeking the nomination for the newly gerrymandered 4th district, which snakes up Kansas City’s urban core and down through a vast swath of rural western Missouri.
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Jack Harvel,
Kansas City Star,
29 June 2026
For example, long-distance highway and bumper-to-bumper urban traffic driving.
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Brooke Crothers,
Forbes.com,
29 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 30 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
urban
adjective
