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
Phoenicians gave the world its first alphabet and were formidable sea merchants and colonizers, establishing city-states throughout the central and western Mediterranean.
—
Margherita Bassi, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 May 2025
Inside, a crowd of Christians, Jews and Native Americans were already packed together to witness the founding of Ararat, a tract of land on nearby Grand Island that was intended to be the first autonomous Jewish city-state in almost 1,800 years.
—Adam L. Rovner, The Conversation, 29 Apr. 2025
For months, tensions had been building between the two city-states as the Athenians clashed with Sparta’s friends and the Spartans sat idly by.
—A. Wess Mitchell, Foreign Affairs, 22 Apr. 2025
Derek Loh, Singapore’s high commissioner to Bangladesh, told delegates at the meeting that the southeast Asian city-state is keen to invest further in Bangladesh’s infrastructure sector.
—Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 21 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for city-state
Margherita Bassi, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 May 2025
Inside, a crowd of Christians, Jews and Native Americans were already packed together to witness the founding of Ararat, a tract of land on nearby Grand Island that was intended to be the first autonomous Jewish city-state in almost 1,800 years.
—Adam L. Rovner, The Conversation, 29 Apr. 2025
For months, tensions had been building between the two city-states as the Athenians clashed with Sparta’s friends and the Spartans sat idly by.
—A. Wess Mitchell, Foreign Affairs, 22 Apr. 2025
Derek Loh, Singapore’s high commissioner to Bangladesh, told delegates at the meeting that the southeast Asian city-state is keen to invest further in Bangladesh’s infrastructure sector.
—Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 21 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for city-state
Recent Examples of Synonyms for city-state
Noun
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As the public realized that Louis XVI and his wife, Marie Antoinette, had no intention of ceding to the revolutionaries’ demands, calls to abolish the monarchy and establish a republic proliferated.—
Eli Wizevich,
Smithsonian Magazine,
9 June 2025
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By this treatment, Haiti was an upside-down world: Black people were free and white people were dead, a depiction that normalized and celebrated the United States as a white slaveholding republic.—
Time,
Time,
9 June 2025
Noun
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Furthermore, following President Trump’s recent visit, Saudi Arabian officials suggested that Tesla’s robotaxis could be introduced in the kingdom.—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
5 June 2025
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Powerless is set in the kingdom of Ilya where the Elites reign supreme with their breathtaking powers—and hunt those without.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
5 June 2025
Noun
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That gesture, among many other policies, helped to secure for Reagan the admiration and affection of Central and Eastern European nations in the decades after the fall of the Berlin Wall.—
Joel Gehrke,
The Washington Examiner,
13 June 2025
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All of this will threaten our nation’s economic and national security.—
David Rosowsky,
Forbes.com,
13 June 2025
Noun
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In 1915, Nicholas granted Olga and her children by Paul the titles of Princess and Prince Paley. World War I, the fall of the Romanov dynasty and the Russian Revolution The Paley family arrived in Russia at a critical time for the waning empire.—
Meilan Solly,
Smithsonian Magazine,
13 June 2025
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Within weeks of its formation in the spring of ’06, Hyde became the throne room at the end of empire.—
Jeff Weiss,
HollywoodReporter,
12 June 2025
Noun
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Military celebrations in the US and Germany reflected the two countries’ changing relationship to their respective armed forces.—
J.D. Capelouto,
semafor.com,
15 June 2025
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Already, the 10% tariff Trump levied on practically every country’s exports to the US, and the extra 50% tariff on steel and aluminum and 25% on cars, is starting to take a toll on some foreign countries’ economies.—
Elisabeth Buchwald,
CNN Money,
15 June 2025
Noun
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The duchy is also partnering with local organizations to address homelessness, a key focus of his royal work in recent years.—
Stephanie Petit,
People.com,
30 May 2025
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That’s because prior to its 1861 unification, the Italian peninsula was fragmented into several kingdoms, duchies, and city-states, each with its landscape, culture, food, and grapes.—
Lauren Mowery,
Forbes.com,
23 May 2025
Noun
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Markey, according to potential challenger Earl Martin Phalen, has done an excellent job representing the commonwealth over his many years in office.—
Matthew Medsger,
Boston Herald,
4 June 2025
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Many on the list, which was shared with NPR, were for environmental justice projects, including one grant that supported initiatives such as flood mitigation in southwest Virginia, a deep red part of the commonwealth where communities have been shaped by the coal industry's booms and busts.—
Michael Copley,
NPR,
23 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Rival principalities, contesting ethnicities/nationalities, and at least three versions of Christianity (Orthodox, Catholic, Armenian), have roiled the hodgepodge.—
Matthew Wills,
JSTOR Daily,
7 Mar. 2022
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The principality’s narrow streets are particularly ill-suited to the current Formula 1 cars and make overtaking all but impossible.—
Dan Cancian,
Forbes.com,
24 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“City-state.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/city-state. Accessed 18 Jun. 2025.
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