Subscriber login


Forgot your password?

Library card login

Other

city

Syllabification: (cit·y)
Pronunciation: /ˈsitē/
Translate city | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of city

noun (plural cities)

  • 1a large town: [as modifier]:the city center
  • North American an incorporated municipal center.
  • 2 [with modifier] informal a place or situation characterized by a specified attribute:panic city
  • 3 (the City) the financial and commercial district of London, England.

Derivatives

cityward

Pronunciation: /-wərd/
adjective & adverb

citywards

Pronunciation: /-wərdz/
adverb

citywide

Pronunciation: /-ˌwīd/
adjective

Origin:

Middle English: from Old French cite, from Latin civitas, from civis 'citizen'. Originally denoting a town, and often used as a Latin equivalent to Old English burh 'borough', the term was later applied to foreign and ancient cities and to the more important English boroughs

city in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of city in the British & World English dictionary
  |  Cite
Oxford Dictionaries Pro

For Oxford's best resources for writers, plus thesaurus, audio, and 1.9m examples.

Shop for an Oxford dictionary

Find the perfect Oxford dictionary for you in our online shop.
SHOP NOW ►

Word of the day

monocular

/ məˈnɒkjʊlə /
adjective , noun
with, for, or in one eye …