1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

city-state

noun

Definition of city-statenext
as in republic
a state that has its own government and consists of a city and the area around it the city-states of ancient Greece

Related Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of city-state This story covers a range of topics, including mall redevelopment, mansion sales, unaffordable housing and city-state litigation. — Jonathan Lansner, Oc Register, 7 Aug. 2026 Just as oil money transformed and modernized the Gulf into city-states of gleaming skyscrapers, centuries of wine money have polished this rural corner of Burgundy into an agri-luxury oasis. — George Nelson For Artnews, Robb Report, 9 July 2026 The joint city-state Bus Action Plan also commits the MTA to improving bus maintenance across the fleet. — Evan Simko-Bednarski, New York Daily News, 8 July 2026 Athens was a belligerent city-state that fell victim to its own aggressions. — Alex Ross, New Yorker, 15 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for city-state
Recent Examples of Synonyms for city-state
  1. republic
  2. kingdom
  3. nation
  4. empire
  5. country
  6. duchy
  7. commonwealth
  8. principality
Noun
  • Because Charles remains Jamaica’s head of state, the island nation was able to directly petition him using an ancient legal mechanism that former colonies that have already transitioned to republics cannot access.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 23 Sep. 2026
  • Beth Israel was a flagship of American Judaism, its origins stretching back to 1844, when Texas was still an independent republic.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of republic
Noun
  • Though Riyadh recently signed a mutual defense agreement with Pakistan and Türkiye, neither has been willing to deploy troops to help the kingdom, forcing Saudi Arabia to turn to European countries for assistance.
    — Jeronimo Gonzalez, semafor.com, 25 Sep. 2026
  • The kingdom’s crude shipments have recovered to the monthly average of 2025.
    — Spencer Kimball, CNBC, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of kingdom
Noun
  • Achieving the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and making America great again can go hand in hand and the two countries can contribute to each other's success, thereby benefiting the wider world.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 24 Sep. 2026
  • Sheinbaum confirmed the participation of the K-pop group in the bilateral meeting, which will primarily address topics such as trade and investment cooperation as well as the expansion of South Korean cultural content in the Latin American nation.
    — Natalia Cano, Billboard, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of nation
Noun
  • The golden era of global expansion that transformed H and M from a Swedish retailer into a global empire occurred under his leadership.
    — , CNBC, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Their growing West Village empire is sort of a Disneyland version of Jody Williams and Rita Sodi’s more understated but just as popular downtown kingdom.
    — Clara Molot, Vanity Fair, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of empire
Noun
  • The measure would have barred Switzerland from joining punitive measures against other countries unless they were imposed by the United Nations.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 28 Sep. 2026
  • Second, the two countries agreed to hold an AI dialogue in the next two months, and establish a communication channel for AI incidents.
    — Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of country
Noun
  • If Jeopardy asks about a European duchy, the European duchy is going to be Luxembourg.
    — Hanna Rosin, The Atlantic, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Louise Haigh will take on the role of Chancellor of the duchy of Lancaster, First Secretary of State and Cabinet Office Minister.
    — Callum Sutherland, Time, 20 July 2026
Definition of duchy
Noun
  • Prosecutors for the commonwealth of Massachusetts must now decide whether to retry Clancy.
    — Rebecca Cohen, NBC news, 18 Sep. 2026
  • The Pennsylvania State Police held an event Thursday that had only been held one other time in the commonwealth, but on the other side of the state.
    — Josh Taylor, CBS News, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of commonwealth
Noun
  • There was another hint — this one visible to more than just a select few people — when Mas and his Spanish team descended on another principality, Monaco, for the race’s start.
    — Chris Marshall-Bell, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026
  • Hard Rock Stadium is now Formula 1’s annual principality while JPMorgan Chase’s expanding South Florida presence mirrors the region’s growing luxury-car economy.
    — Lilian Raji, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of principality

Browse Nearby Words

city slickers
city-state
city-states
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“City-state.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/city-state. Accessed 2 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on city-state

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about city-state

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of heterodox

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Oct. 2

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of the words cracker fly and sale arranged in a triangle with the word fire in the middle
Triple Play Quiz Find the word that pairs with each of the three g...
See All