city hall

noun

, (often initial capital letters)

1. the administration building of a city government.
2. a city administration or government.
3. Informal. a bureaucracy or bureaucratic rules and regulations, especially that of a city government:

   You can't fight city hall.

city hall

noun

1. the building housing the administrative offices of a city or municipal government
2. 1. municipal government
   2. the officials of a municipality collectively
3. informal.
   bureaucracy

Word History and Origins

Origin of city hall¹

An Americanism dating back to 1665–75

Example Sentences

City Hall said the funding will enable one-to-one and group mentoring for 2,200 more young people across the capital, with the programme forming a "critical element" of mayor’s "approach to tackling violence".

From BBC

She continues the march of politicians backed by the Democratic Socialists of America who have stormed City Hall over the past four years.

From Los Angeles Times

Sir Mark said conversations over its funding allocation from next April - which would normally be expected to be announced in December or January - were still "ongoing" with the government and City Hall.

From BBC

Authorities said the incident started around 7:30 a.m., when the Sheriff’s Department responded to a call for service at the courthouse on Maple Avenue, a few hundred feet from both the Torrance Police Department and Torrance City Hall.

From Los Angeles Times

“Landlords cannot pay fees. It’s not in their budgets and they won’t do it,” one real estate broker said at a demonstration of hundreds of real estate brokers at City Hall in June.

From Salon

Related Words

• town hall