outskirts
/ˈaʊtskəːts
/plural noun
The outer parts of a town or city: he built a new factory on the outskirts of Birmingham...
- In recent years, the allotment of plots is speeding up in towns and on the outskirts of the bigger cities.
- The former, for example, resulted in the creation of shanty towns on the outskirts of the major cities.
- Camera crews spent two days filming in the red light district on the outskirts of Bolton town centre.
Synonyms
outlying districts, edges, fringes, suburbs, suburbia;
purlieus, borders, periphery, margin, boundary;
surrounding area/district, environs;
French faubourg, banlieue;
Spanish barrio
Origin
Late 16th century: from out + skirt.