Noun

Singular city

Plural cities

city (plural cities)

1. A large settlement, bigger than a town. In Europe a city is a place that had succeeded in obtaining the right to build a city wall, a belfort, etc., from the nobility.

Derived terms

• citify
• citizen
• city banker
• city block
• city boy
• city center
• city centre
• city clerk
• city desk
• city district
• city father
• city girl
• city hall
• city limit

• city line
• city man
• city manager
• city planning
• city room
• city-slicker
• city-state
• cityscape
• citywide
• holy city
• inner city/inner-city
• sister city
• the city
• twin city

Look at pages starting with city.

Related terms

• civic
• civil

A city is a relatively large and permanent urban settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.

For example, an article of incorporation approved by the local state legislature distinguishes a city government from a town in Massachusetts. In the United Kingdom and parts of the Commonwealth of Nations, a city is traditionally a settlement with a royal charter. Historically, in Europe, a city was understood to be an urban settlement with a cathedral, hence the official status of St David's as a city in the United Kingdom despite its population of 1,797 in 2001.

Cities generally have advanced systems for sanitation, utilities, land usage, housing, and transportation. The concentration of development greatly facilitates interaction between people and businesses, benefiting both parties in the process. A big city or metropolis usually has associated suburbs and exurbs. Such cities are usually associated with metropolitan areas and urban sprawl, creating numerous business commuters traveling to urban centers of employment. Once a city sprawls far enough to reach another city, this region can be deemed a conurbation or megalopolis.