as in republics
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-states
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
Debbie Felton, The Conversation, 8 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for city-states
Noun
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This year’s Imaginarium Festival theme is Winter Utopia, featuring ice kingdoms and fairytale landscapes alongside infinity mirror rooms, interactive exhibits, carnival games and an ice skating rink.—
Marcus Smith,
Sacbee.com,
7 Nov. 2025
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The history of premodern Southeast Asia, where small kingdoms competed and traded without coming under the dominion of China or India, suggests a different model.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
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While the United States rose from the wreckage of the war to take its place as the youngest member of the family of nations, many other communities caught up in it had to fight just as long and just as hard to find their own footing in the brave new world that followed.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Nov. 2025
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These risks have prompted the United States, China, and other spacefaring nations to develop advanced systems for tracking, avoiding, and potentially removing orbital debris.—
Micah McCartney,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Nov. 2025
Noun
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This is the main place travelers to Istanbul visit, and with good reason—the layered empires that dominated Istanbul all left their mark right here.—
Katie Nadworny,
Travel + Leisure,
8 Nov. 2025
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But when wealthy people leverage debt to build their empires?—
Kimberly Wilson,
Essence,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Shouting angrily, protesters demanded access to the UN compound where thousands of delegates from countries around the world are attending this year’s UN climate summit in the Amazon city of Belém, Brazil.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
12 Nov. 2025
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By mid-2025, the two countries had opened discussions on defense and free trade, and Bangladesh joined China and Pakistan for a trilateral summit in June after restoring diplomatic ties with the latter.—
MUHIB RAHMAN,
Foreign Affairs,
12 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“City-states.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/city-states. Accessed 13 Nov. 2025.
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