city

[ sit-ee ]

noun

, plural cit·ies.

1. a large or important town.
2. (in the U.S.) an incorporated municipality, usually governed by a mayor and a board of aldermen or councilmen.
3. the inhabitants of a city collectively:

   The entire city is mourning his death.

4. (in Canada) a municipality of high rank, usually based on population.
5. (in Great Britain) a borough, usually the seat of a bishop, upon which the dignity of the title has been conferred by the crown.
6. the City,
   1. the major metropolitan center of a region; downtown:

      I'm going to the City to buy clothes and see a show.

   2. the commercial and financial area of London, England.
7. a city-state.
8. (often initial capital letter) Slang. a place, person, or situation having certain features or characteristics (used in combination):

   The party last night was Action City. That guy is dull city.

city

¹

/ ˈsɪtɪ /

noun

1. any large town or populous place
2. (in Britain) a large town that has received this title from the Crown: usually the seat of a bishop
3. (in the US) an incorporated urban centre with its own government and administration established by state charter
4. (in Canada) a similar urban municipality incorporated by the provincial government
5. an ancient Greek city-state; polis
6. the people of a city collectively
7. modifier in or characteristic of a city

   a city girl

   city habits

City

²

/ ˈsɪtɪ /

noun

1. short for City of London : the original settlement of London on the N bank of the Thames; a municipality governed by the Lord Mayor and Corporation. Resident pop: 7186 (2001)
2. the area in central London in which the United Kingdom's major financial business is transacted
3. the various financial institutions located in this area

Other Words From

• city·less adjective
• city·like adjective
• inter·city adjective
• mini·city noun plural minicities
• outcity noun plural outcities
• pro·city adjective
• sub·city noun plural subcities

Word History and Origins

Origin of city¹

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English cite, from Anglo-French, Old French cite(t), from Latin cīvitāt-, stem of cīvitās “citizenry, town,” from cīvi(s) “citizen” ( civil ( def ) ) + -tās -ty ²

Word History and Origins

Origin of city¹

C13: from Old French cité, from Latin cīvitās citizenship, state, from cīvis citizen

Synonym Study

See community.

Example Sentences

“Hope Clinic in Granite City, Iliinois, just across the river from St. Louis, continues to see the vast majority of their patients traveling from out of state, most of them from Missouri,” Shariyf said.

From Salon

In a post on X, the Indian capital's chief minister, Atishi Marlena Singh, said classes will move online until further notice due to a thick smog that has enveloped the city.

From BBC

Earlier in the month, air pollution in the Pakistani city of Lahore forced officials to temporarily close its primary schools.

From BBC

At the same time, monitoring by IQAir suggests the neighbouring cities of Gurugram and Noida had hazardous air pollution, as did the northern Indian city of Chandigarh.

From BBC

A study published in The Lancet in July found that 7.2% of daily deaths in the city could be attributed to fine particulate pollution.

From BBC

Related Words

• capital
• center
• downtown
• metropolis
• municipality
• place
• port