Origin: 1100-1200 Old French cité, from Latin civitas citizenship, state, city of Rome
Collocations
COLLOCATIONSadjectives/nouns + city►a big/large/major city
London is one of the safest major cities in the world.
►a sprawling city
(=spreading over a large area) Houston is a sprawling city.
►a great city
(=very important and interesting) Cairo is one of the world’s great cities.
►a capital city
(=where the government of a country or state is) Cuba’s capital city is Havana.
►somebody’s home city/native city
(=where they were born or grew up) He left the capital to return to his home city.
►a cosmopolitan city
(=full of people from different parts of the world) San Francisco is a very cosmopolitan city.
►the inner city
(=the part of a city that is near the middle, especially when it is poor and in bad condition) There is a lot of crime and poverty in the inner city.
►an industrial city
(=where there are a lot of factories) There is a lot of unemployment in old industrial cities like Cleveland and Pittsburgh.
►an ancient/historic city
(=very old and with an interesting history) Budapest is a beautiful and historic city.
►a port city
(=a city where ships are loaded and unloaded) We traveled to the port city of Alexandria in Egypt.
►a holy city
(=a city that is connected with God and religion) Mecca is a holy city for Muslims.
►a coastal city
(=a city that is in the area where the land meets the ocean) The coastal city of Shanghai is the largest city in China.
nouns►the city limits
(=the furthest parts of the city) New developments are being built outside the city limits.
►city resident/city dweller
(=someone who lives in a city) Many city residents are concerned about the increase in crime.
►city life
He was tired of city life.
verbs►found a city
(=start developing a new city) The city of Baghdad was founded in the 8th century.
Thesaurus
THESAURUSplace►town
an area with houses, stores, offices, etc. where people live and work: He grew up in a small town in Texas. Milton is a town of about 35,000 people.
►city
a very large town, usually with very large buildings, museums, parks, etc. where a large number of people live and work: Jacksonville is the largest city in Florida. He lives near Central Park in New York City.
►metropolis
a very large city, especially an important city – used especially in writing: London grew from one square mile into a busy and crowded metropolis.
►suburb
a town or small city near a large city: He lives in a suburb of Seattle but drives into the city for work every day.
►village
a very small town, usually far from cities – used especially about places outside of the U.S.: His parents come from a village in Thailand.
►capital
a large city where a country’s or state’s main government is: Sacramento is the capital of California.
►municipality
formal a town, city, or other small area, which has its own government: The website has a map of the municipality of Anchorage.
►settlement
a group of houses and buildings where people live, far away from other towns: The pioneers lived in a small settlement on the edge of the desert.
1a)a large important town: Have you ever visited New York City? Boston is one of the oldest cities in the United States. I have always lived in big cities. They live on the outskirts of the city (=the edge of the city).b)social studies a town of any size that has definite borders and powers that were officially given by the state government: city of The city of Parlier is in Fresno county.► see thesaurus at town2[usually singular] the people who live in a city: The city has been living in fear since last week’s earthquake.3the city the government of a city: The city is working to improve public transportation.city of He works for the city of San Diego.4...city spoken used in order to say that there is a lot of something in a place or situation, or that a situation or place makes you feel something strongly: It was sun city all weekend. [Origin: 1100–1200 Old French cité, from Latin civitas citizenship, state, city of Rome] → see alsoinner city, sister cityCOLLOCATIONSadjectives/nouns + citya big/large/major city London is one of the safest major cities in the world.a sprawling city (=spreading over a large area) Houston is a sprawling city.a great city (=very important and interesting) Cairo is one of the world’s great cities.a capital city (=where the government of a country or state is) Cuba’s capital city is Havana.somebody’s home city/native city (=where they were born or grew up) He left the capital to return to his home city.a cosmopolitan city (=full of people from different parts of the world) San Francisco is a very cosmopolitan city.the inner city (=the part of a city that is near the middle, especially when it is poor and in bad condition) There is a lot of crime and poverty in the inner city.an industrial city (=where there are a lot of factories) There is a lot of unemployment in old industrial cities like Cleveland and Pittsburgh.an ancient/historic city (=very old and with an interesting history) Budapest is a beautiful and historic city.a port city (=a city where ships are loaded and unloaded) We traveled to the port city of Alexandria in Egypt.a holy city (=a city that is connected with God and religion) Mecca is a holy city for Muslims.a coastal city (=a city that is in the area where the land meets the ocean) The coastal city of Shanghai is the largest city in China.nounsthe city limits (=the furthest parts of the city) New developments are being built outside the city limits.city resident/city dweller (=someone who lives in a city) Many city residents are concerned about the increase in crime.city life He was tired of city life.verbsfound a city (=start developing a new city) The city of Baghdad was founded in the 8th century.