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
Related Words
Relevance
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
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
His route to Sparta would have taken him through Corinth, Nemea, and Arcadia and avoided kingdoms or city-states not allied with Athens.
—Gitanjali Roy, Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 Mar. 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
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
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
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
His route to Sparta would have taken him through Corinth, Nemea, and Arcadia and avoided kingdoms or city-states not allied with Athens.
—Gitanjali Roy, Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 Mar. 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
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for city-states
Noun
-
At first glance, this theory may seem most applicable to tribes, kingdoms, or nations.—
Judah Taub,
semafor.com,
11 June 2026
-
Set in 2093, the film follows young filmmaker Kuve (Abraham Joseph) who travels to the remote village of Umata to document the aftermath of a devastating war that outlawed post-2040s technology and brought ancient kingdoms back to life.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
4 June 2026
Noun
-
But while other African nations, such as Morocco, are now winning the battle for talent with countries such as France or Spain, Ghana is missing out.—
Simon Hughes,
New York Times,
17 June 2026
-
Alain Quevrin, Country Director for Thales Belgium and Luxembourg, said the company developed the new rocket to help nations strengthen their readiness against the expanding drone threat.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
16 June 2026
Noun
-
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi built commercial empires by transcending the game.—
Clemente Lisi,
Forbes.com,
13 June 2026
-
The museum is dedicated to the 1853–56 Crimean War, the notoriously brutal conflict between the Russian Empire and an alliance that included the Ottoman, French, and British empires.—
Tessa Solomon,
ARTnews.com,
11 June 2026
Noun
-
The international clientele is split between Europeans and Americans on endeavors to discover Ancient Egypt, and travelers from Gulf countries on weekend getaways, poised to shop at the many luxury malls in the hotel’s Garden City surroundings.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
17 June 2026
-
Just nine of the 26 players have experienced Ghana’s club system at some point, while eight come from the diaspora, born in countries including the Netherlands, England and France.—
Simon Hughes,
New York Times,
17 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“City-states.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/city-states. Accessed 23 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
