suburb

noun

sub·​urb ˈsə-ˌbərb 

1

a

: an outlying part of a city or town

b

: a smaller community adjacent to or within commuting distance of a city

c

suburbs plural : the residential area on the outskirts of a city or large town

2

suburbs plural : the near vicinity : environs

suburban

sə-ˈbər-bən 

adjective or noun

suburbanite

sə-ˈbər-bə-ˌnīt 

noun

Did you know?

The Suburbs vs. the Urbs

Given that most of the common words in our language beginning sub- tend to have meanings concerned with “beneath” (as in subterranean and submarine) or “less than” (as with subpar), you would be forgiven for assuming that the suburbs were so named because of their location below, or their status as less than, their urban counterparts. Not so, however: sub- may have other meanings at the beginning of a word; in this case, it indicates not depth or inferiority, but proximity. In other words, the suburbs are a region close to the urbs.

Is urbs an English word? Yes; it is rarely used, but it refers typically to a city, particularly when distinguished from a suburb.

Examples of suburb in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

And so beginning this week, students in the city and suburbs alike will observe Black History Month. —Ron Grossman, Chicago Tribune, 2 Feb. 2025

Residents in low-lying coastal suburbs and towns have been urged to evacuate immediately. —Helen Regan, CNN, 2 Feb. 2025

Of the 163 people aboard, 134 passengers and crew members were killed that day. July 9, 1982 A Pan American World Airways flight crashed in a suburb of New Orleans, La., killing 145 people onboard and eight others on the ground. —Emma Bowman, NPR, 31 Jan. 2025

It’s now been more than three weeks since both the Palisades Fire and the Eaton Fire exploded in Los Angeles and its suburbs, killing 29 people, destroying or damaging more than 18,000 structures, and torching 37,000-plus acres. —U T Editorial Board, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English suburbe, from Anglo-French, from Latin suburbium, from sub- near + urbs city — more at sub-

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

suburb

noun

sub·​urb ˈsəb-ˌərb 

1

a

: a part of a city or town near its outer edge

b

: a smaller community close to a city

2

plural : the area of homes close to or surrounding a city

suburban

sə-ˈbər-bən 

adjective or noun

Etymology

Middle English suburb "part around the outer edge of a city," from early French (same meaning), from Latin suburbium (same meaning), from sub "under, close to" and urbs "city"