city

noun

ˈsi-tē 

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

: city-state

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.

Synonyms

• asphalt jungle
• burg
• cosmopolis
• megacity
• megalopolis
• metropolis
• municipality
• town

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

Some cities near Phoenix, Arizona, could see temperatures plunge nearly 30 degrees overnight as a freeze warning is in place. —Joseph Epstein, Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2024

Here are 5 cities where the highest number of Gen Z renters are rent-burdened: 1. —Judy Lagrou, CNBC, 10 Dec. 2024

The rockers band will hit nine cities across North America—Detroit, Boston, Sayreville, New York, Chicago, Denver, Salt Lake City, Los Angeles, and San Diego—starting in April, performing three consecutive nights in each location. —Jessica Lynch, Billboard, 10 Dec. 2024

Rounding Out the Top 10 The rest of the list includes two Arizona cities, a California town popular with celebrities, a party city with a rich history, and another island. —Sari Hitchins, Parents, 10 Dec. 2024

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

Phrases Containing city

• anti-city
• big-city
• central city
• city centre
• city clerk
• city council
• city desk
• city editor
• city father
• city hall
• city manager
• city planning
• city room
• city slicker
• city-state
• core city
• edge city
• fat city
• free city
• garden city
• holy city
• independent city
• inner city
• inter-city
• open city
• sister city
• tent city
• the big city
• the city

Kids Definition

city

noun

ˈsit-ē 

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