(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
▶ Related adjectives: , , civic, urban, municipal
Word origin
C13: from Old French cité, from Latin cīvitās citizenship, state, from cīvis citizen
Examples of 'cities' in a sentence
cities
The clear northern sunlight shone on the stately buildings which make Stockholm one of the most attractive cities in the world.
Forbes, Colin COVER STORY (2002)
Do you think these ideas could be used in other cities?
Smithsonian (2009)
Sixteen teams participated in 1934 and eight cities were used.
The Star (South Africa) (2009)
The project spread to 12 other cities this year.
Houston Chronicle (2010)
Houston is not one of the 20 cities.
Houston Chronicle (2010)
Munich is one of those rare major cities that feel cozy.
Smithsonian (2010)
Most cities aggressively protect the handful of places that make them special.
Houston Chronicle (2010)
Cities also may increase the collection penalty from 15 percent to 20 percent.
Houston Chronicle (2006)
The cost of attending comedy clubs increased this year in some cities.
Houston Chronicle (2002)
Dozens of police officers, many from other cities, patrolled the streets.
Houston Chronicle (2006)
All related terms of 'cities'
city
A city is a large town.
megacity
a city with over 10 million inhabitants
supercity
a very large city, with a population in the millions
Han Cities
a group of three cities in E central China ( Hanyang , Hankow , and Wuchang ), in SE Hubei at the confluence of the Han and Yangtze Rivers ; united in 1950 to form the conurbation of Wuhan , the capital of Hubei province
Twin Cities
Minneapolis & St. Paul , Minn.
big city
The big city is used to refer to a large city which seems attractive to someone because they think there are many exciting things to do there, and many opportunities to earn a lot of money .
fat city
a place or condition of prosperity , comfort , success , etc.
free city
a sovereign or autonomous city; city-state
open city
a city which is a military objective but is completely demilitarized and left open to enemy occupation in order to gain immunity , under international law, from bombardment and attack
tent city
an area set up with tents , esp. as to house homeless or displaced persons
twin city
a town that has civic associations , such as reciprocal visits and cultural exchanges , with a foreign town, usually of similar size and sometimes with other similarities, as in commercial activities
garden city
a planned town of limited size with broad streets and spacious layout , containing trees and open spaces and surrounded by a rural belt
inner city
You use inner city to refer to the areas in or near the centre of a large city where people live and where there are often social and economic problems .
inner-city areas
the parts of a city in or near its centre, esp when they are associated with poverty , unemployment , substandard housing , etc
sister city
Sister cities are cities in different countries that have formally established a special relationship with each other involving, for example , cultural and sports events.
capital city
the seat of government of a country or other political unit
cardboard city
an area of a city in which homeless people sleep rough , often in cardboard boxes
cathedral city
a city that has a cathedral
freedom of the city
nominal citizenship in a city, conferred as an honor upon important visitors