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
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
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
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
Jacopo Prisco, CNN Money, 4 Dec. 2025
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
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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The revolutionaries and the representatives of the old republic (all of them, it should be said, canny political operatives of various vintages) get along quite well on the ground.—
Ben Smith,
semafor.com,
12 Jan. 2026
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The unrest comes as the Islamic republic has been increasingly vulnerable with leaders facing mounting internal and domestic strains and a population growing angrier over a deepening economic crisis.—
Anniek Bao,
CNBC,
12 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
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
-
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
-
Indeed, this tragedy reflects the deep strain being felt in countless communities across our nation.—
WCCO Staff,
CBS News,
9 Jan. 2026
-
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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Late-aughts Hollywood was roiled by the financial crisis, and Paramount, the studio behind The Godfather and Titanic, was the struggling moviemaking arm of the Redstone family’s Viacom cable-TV empire.—
Reeves Wiedeman,
Vulture,
12 Jan. 2026
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But Paramount’s hostile takeover bid means that a giant question mark looms over the entire media empire.—
Brian Stelter,
CNN Money,
12 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
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
-
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
-
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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The commonwealth argued these details support a narrative that the scene was staged to mislead investigators.—
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten , Julia Bonavita,
FOXNews.com,
20 Jan. 2026
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It should also be flown at half-staff on all federal facilities in the state, congressional district, territory, or commonwealth of these officials.—
Alexis Simmerman,
Austin American Statesman,
18 Jan. 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 22 Jan. 2026.
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