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
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Recent Examples of city-state
With crops failing and fears of starvation rising, some wealthy Italian city-states like Florence and Venice imported grain from elsewhere in the world.
—
Evan Bush, NBC news, 4 Dec. 2025
An ensuing grain shortage threatened to spark a famine or civil unrest, so Italian city-states, such as Venice and Genoa, resorted to emergency imports from the Black Sea region, which helped keep the population fed.
—Jacopo Prisco, CNN Money, 4 Dec. 2025
Grace Fu has served as Singapore's environmental chief since 2020, allocating nearly $4 billion to coastal resilience projects in the low-lying city-state while leading international negotiations on climate policy.
—Elisabeth Brier, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
Consequently, Persia abandoned its westward expansion, while various Greek city-states formed a tenuous alliance that lasted nearly 50 years.
—Debbie Felton, The Conversation, 8 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for city-state
Evan Bush, NBC news, 4 Dec. 2025
An ensuing grain shortage threatened to spark a famine or civil unrest, so Italian city-states, such as Venice and Genoa, resorted to emergency imports from the Black Sea region, which helped keep the population fed.
—Jacopo Prisco, CNN Money, 4 Dec. 2025
Grace Fu has served as Singapore's environmental chief since 2020, allocating nearly $4 billion to coastal resilience projects in the low-lying city-state while leading international negotiations on climate policy.
—Elisabeth Brier, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
Consequently, Persia abandoned its westward expansion, while various Greek city-states formed a tenuous alliance that lasted nearly 50 years.
—Debbie Felton, The Conversation, 8 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for city-state
Recent Examples of Synonyms for city-state
Noun
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Every uniform will contain a label featuring the article of the Italian Constitution that says Italy is a republic founded on labor.—
Sofia Celeste,
Footwear News,
27 Feb. 2026
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As the Meridian Empire sets out to usurp wealthy colonies and crush the pirate republic, Cat is faced with an ultimatum – turn in the fearsome Valerian Kane, the only man she’s ever loved and the biggest threat to the Empire, or die.—
Clare Mulroy,
USA Today,
26 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Attacks on other Gulf states Qatar and Bahrain also came under attack, piercing the kingdoms’ polished image as luxurious havens in an unstable region.—
Laura Sharman,
CNN Money,
1 Mar. 2026
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The island kingdom of Bahrain said Monday that one person was killed by shrapnel from an intercepted missile.—
BRIAN MELLEY,
Austin American Statesman,
1 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The White House’s sudden strategy shift has nonetheless left many regional nations struggling to get by, and experts have warned that aid cuts could lead to many more deaths.—
semafor.com,
semafor.com,
3 Mar. 2026
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But the prospect of a multiweek campaign and rising casualties is forcing a reckoning inside the MAGA coalition, many of whom rallied behind his 2016 promise to avoid prolonged Middle East wars and nation-building efforts overseas.—
Samantha-Jo Roth,
The Washington Examiner,
3 Mar. 2026
Noun
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If empires could assign names to vast mountain ranges—Hindu Kush, from the Persian kushtan, to kill—with administrative casualness, as if naming could override geological fact, why not render those summits as battered cookware?—
Anel Rakhimzhanova,
Artforum,
1 Mar. 2026
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Armani was building an empire, revolutionizing men’s fashion and producing the signature look for the 1980s.—
Rustin Dodd,
New York Times,
28 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The United States is also insisting that any nuclear deal between the two countries remain permanent instead of including a future ending date, or sunset clause.—
Michael Collins,
USA Today,
28 Feb. 2026
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In response, the Iranian regime has launched an unprecedented wave of strikes across the Middle East, with blasts heard in several countries that host US military bases, including the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Bahrain.—
Christian Edwards,
CNN Money,
28 Feb. 2026
Noun
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La Tour was born in Lorraine, a duchy of the Holy Roman Empire, in 1593, twenty-one years after Caravaggio, whose sensational combination of naturalism and theater, light and dark, formed him as a painter.—
Nicole Krauss,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Feb. 2026
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The Duchy of Cornwall, established in 1337 by King Edward III, is one of two royal duchies, a type of land management and financial investment firm that can carry the functions of a corporation or trust.—
Edward Segarra,
USA Today,
30 Dec. 2025
Noun
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Since 1995, there have been 1,813 reports of UFOs in the commonwealth.—
Marina Johnson,
Louisville Courier Journal,
16 Feb. 2026
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The commonwealth partnered with OpenAI, the company that owns ChatGPT, to ensure that government data remains protected, Snyder said.—
Logan Hall,
CBS News,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Also known as a Jodhpuri suit, the bandhgala originated in the principality of Rajasthani Jodhpur in the 16th century.—
Brendan Ruberry,
semafor.com,
15 Jan. 2026
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Yoshi is arguably among the most upscale spots for Japanese cuisine in the principality.—
Lane Nieset,
Travel + Leisure,
18 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“City-state.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/city-state. Accessed 4 Mar. 2026.
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