plural cities
often attributive
1
a
: an inhabited place of greater size, population, or importance than a town or village
We spent the weekend in the city.
b
: an incorporated British town usually of major size or importance having the status of an episcopal see
c capitalized
(1)
: the financial district of London
(2)
: the influential financial interests of the British economy
d
: a usually large or important municipality in the U.S. governed under a charter granted by the state
e
: an incorporated municipal unit of the highest class in Canada
2
3
: the people of a city
The city rebelled against the oppressive government.
4
slang : a thing, event, or situation that is strongly characterized by a specified quintessential feature or quality
The movie was shoot-out city.
Getting lost in the maze was panic city.

Examples of city in a Sentence

major cities like London, Tokyo, and Rome The city is working to make the streets safer. a lawsuit against the city
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
In every city studied, at least 20% of the urban area is sinking – and in 25 of 28 cities, at least 65% is sinking. Rebecca Morin, USA Today, 9 May 2025 Because ski masks have been banned from public spaces in cities like Philadelphia due to their association with criminal activity, seeing someone wear one in public may raise alarm. Jazmin Towe, Parents, 9 May 2025 As Croatia’s second largest city, Split has been enjoying remarkable success over the last five years as a quieter, cheaper alternative to Italy’s tourist crunch. John Mariani, Forbes.com, 9 May 2025 Thursday’s vigils were held in at least 15 cities nationwide — from Spokane, Washington, to San Juan and New York and Chicago — but the largest demonstrations took place in Florida, home to the country’s largest Venezuelan population. Verónica Egui Brito, Miami Herald, 9 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for city

Word History

Etymology

Middle English citie large or small town, from Anglo-French cité, from Medieval Latin civitat-, civitas, from Latin, citizenship, state, city of Rome, from civis citizen — more at hind

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of city was in the 13th century

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Cite this Entry

“City.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/city. Accessed 13 May. 2025.

Kids Definition

city

noun
plural cities
1
: a place in which people live that is larger or more important than a town
2
: the people of a city
Etymology

Middle English citie "large or small town," from early French cité (same meaning), derived from Latin civitas "state of being a resident of a town, citizenship," from civis "citizen" — related to citizen, civil

More from Merriam-Webster on city

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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