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
Last but not least, Robert House (aka Mr. House) is the enigmatic ruler of New Vegas; he's kept a fragile peace and formed a city-state that 'works' when everything doesn't.
—
Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 19 Oct. 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
But Netanyahu’s rhetoric, if impolitic, was resonant: the image of Israel as a militarized city-state will be hard to dispel.
—Ruth Margalit, New Yorker, 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
Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 19 Oct. 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
But Netanyahu’s rhetoric, if impolitic, was resonant: the image of Israel as a militarized city-state will be hard to dispel.
—Ruth Margalit, New Yorker, 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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OneCoin was reportedly banking with JSC Capital Bank in the former Soviet republic of Georgia at least for some time in 2015.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
7 Nov. 2025
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Every cycle, every generation, there is a relearning of the truths of living in a democratic republic.—
Ted Johnson,
Deadline,
3 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Over the past few years, the kingdom has been one of the most active markets for stock offerings, driven by sales of shares in the state oil giant Saudi Aramco and holdings of its sovereign wealth fund.—
Matthew Martin,
semafor.com,
7 Jan. 2026
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The island is a self-governing territory of the kingdom of Denmark and thus part of the NATO military alliance.—
Regina Garcia Cano,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Indeed, this tragedy reflects the deep strain being felt in countless communities across our nation.—
WCCO Staff,
CBS News,
9 Jan. 2026
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Illinois passed a first-in-the-nation law addressing this issue in 2024, and both red and blue states are exploring similar solutions.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
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If Stacey wants to skip out and build her cannabis empire for her daughter instead, I am simply unbothered.—
Shamira Ibrahim,
Vulture,
10 Nov. 2025
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Paramount has been bidding since October for WBD, a transaction that would elevate David Ellison’s nascent media empire into a Hollywood force that could not be easily ignored by tech competitors and Wall Street.—
Rohan Goswami,
semafor.com,
10 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Hollywood couple Meagan Good and Jonathan Majors received Guinean citizenship after tracing their ancestry to the West African country through DNA testing.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
11 Jan. 2026
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Our country is built on immigrants.—
Michael Loria,
USA Today,
11 Jan. 2026
Noun
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However, the duchy passed on to Prince William when Charles became king on the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022.—
Jack Royston,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 July 2025
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Known collectively as Hessians, since most Germans hired by London to fight in America came from Hesse-Kassel, this contingent was largely from the small, impoverished duchy of Brunswick, whose ruling family had intermarried with the British royal family.—
/ CBS News,
CBS News,
13 June 2025
Noun
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Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro's administration is starting the new year with the goal of making the commonwealth's roads safer.—
Jessica Riley,
CBS News,
2 Jan. 2026
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Virginia governor-elect Abigail Spanberger will be the first woman and the first former CIA officer to lead the commonwealth.—
December 22,
NPR,
22 Dec. 2025
Noun
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Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz and María Luisa Manrique de Lara y Gonzaga (a rather pompous name that encompassed two major hereditary estates, a principality, a county, a marquisate, and, for a time, a viceroyalty) met in 1680 in Mexico City.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
4 Nov. 2025
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Owned in majority by the government of the principality, the SBM counts LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton among its minority shareholders.—
Lily Templeton,
Footwear News,
9 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“City-state.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/city-state. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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