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
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.

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 In its budget for the upcoming fiscal year, the city of Sacramento, facing a $66 million deficit, slashed more than 40 vacant positions and raised fees for city services ranging from street parking to parks and recreation programs, potentially including the one Noble’s daughters attend. Esther Sun, Sacramento Bee, 27 June 2024 Beyond Amsterdam, travelers in Portland can fly direct to several other cities in Europe, including Frankfurt, Iceland, and London. Alison Fox, Travel + Leisure, 27 June 2024 Mapping the Hooters closures Impossibly affordable cities What if everyone got an IRA? Daniel De Visé, USA TODAY, 27 June 2024 Here is a sampling of likely cuts, according to city analysts: Public safety would suffer. Christopher Meyer, Baltimore Sun, 27 June 2024 See all Example Sentences for city 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'city.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of city was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near city

Cite this Entry

“City.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/city. Accessed 4 Jul. 2024.

Kids Definition

city

noun
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

More from Merriam-Webster on city

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