city-states

plural of city-state

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of city-states Also intertwined are ancient myths of warring city-states, the raw, moody poetry of John Keats, and the modern battle between a faithless husband and his wife, the poem’s raging speaker. — Merve Emre, New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2026 His historical record of the Peloponnesian War described how Athens’ rapid rise in power alarmed Sparta and made war between the two city-states inevitable. — Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 26 Sep. 2026 By the later Middle Ages, Italian city-states such as Venice and Genoa were major European trading centers, importing goods from the eastern Mediterranean and distributing them to markets across Europe. — Laura Payne, Encyclopedia Britannica, 9 Sep. 2026 Just as oil money transformed and modernized the Gulf into city-states of gleaming skyscrapers, centuries of wine money have polished this rural corner of Burgundy into an agri-luxury oasis. — George Nelson For Artnews, Robb Report, 9 July 2026 As conditions worsened, city-states fought over power and resources. — Lauren Mowery, Forbes.com, 26 May 2026 As children, Vi and Jinx lose their parents in an abortive revolution in Zaun, and years later find themselves on opposite sides of an unfolding power struggle between the two city-states. — David Faris, TheWeek, 22 May 2026 With very few exceptions, an end was declared, not only to empires, but also to city-states, duchies, principalities, emirates, sultanates, caliphates, khanates, agencies, princely states, colonies, suzerains, dependencies, mandates, tributaries, condominia and protectorates. — Literary Hub, 18 May 2026 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for city-states
Noun
  • The agreement followed a long struggle between the Hittite and Egyptian kingdoms for control of territory in ancient Syria.
    — Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Like kingdoms of old, SaaS companies are sitting on treasure troves of data.
    — Srinivas Velamoor, Forbes.com, 23 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • Into the bedrock Ever since the first nuclear plants emerged in the 1950s, nations have struggled to manage dangerous radioactive byproducts.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Lula also raised Brazil’s profile abroad, deepening ties with developing nations while maintaining relationships with the US and Europe, and helped found the BRICS group with China, Russia, India and South Africa.
    — Alessandra Freitas, CNN Money, 23 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • The territories at various times have been part of the Russian and Ottoman empires, medieval Kievan Rus’ and earlier civilizations.
    — Catherine Belton, Washington Post, 23 Oct. 2026
  • The Fantasy Bra Club is a who's-who of supermodels and, now, reality TV billionaires with makeup empires.
    — Christopher Rosa, Glamour, 22 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • An ocean bordered by dozens of countries would be far harder to rename than a gulf or a lake.
    — Bilin Lin, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026
  • With more than 50 years of experience in subsea robotics, ISE has delivered over 250 underwater vehicles to customers in more than 20 countries worldwide, according to a press release.
    — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 23 Oct. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“City-states.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/city-states. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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