conurbation

[ kon-er-bey-shuhn ]

noun

1. an extensive urban area resulting from the expansion of several cities or towns so that they coalesce but usually retain their separate identities.

conurbation

/ ˌkɒnɜːˈbeɪʃən /

noun

1. a large densely populated urban sprawl formed by the growth and coalescence of individual towns or cities

Word History and Origins

Origin of conurbation¹

con- + Latin urb- (stem of urbs ) “city, capital city, Rome” + -ation; coined by Sir Patrick Geddes (1854–1932), Scottish sociologist and city planner, in his Cities in Evolution (1915)

Word History and Origins

Origin of conurbation¹

C20: from con- + -urbation, from Latin urbs city; see urban

Example Sentences

"Linton-on-Ouse is not a major conurbation and has limited infrastructure which would struggle to support such an increased number."

From BBC

About 200 miles east of Algiers, Constantine, known to its Numidian founders as Cirta, is today a sprawling conurbation of more than 400,000 people.

From Washington Post

In Yuzhou city, part of Xuchang's conurbation, 1 million residents are already under lockdown, with people in some areas unable to leave their homes.

From Reuters

With Christmas parties aplenty cancelled because of the Great Unpleasantness, including that at No 10, a nation will be rapt by a battle between two clubs on the outer fringes of the London conurbation.

From The Guardian

Despite Bradford being the UK's seventh largest city, with the district having a population of 537,000, a recent report found it has the worst rail connections of any major British conurbation.

From BBC

Related Words

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