city

The word “city” means a large, important settlement, generally bigger than a town and often with its own local government. In plain terms, a large urban settlement, or, informally, the business/downtown core of one.

“City” is pronounced siht-ee-SIH-ee (/ˈsɪt.i/ [ˈsɪɾ.i] in IPA).

Here is “city” used in a sentence: “They moved from the countryside to the city for work.”

The opposite of “city” — its antonyms — are town and village.

“City” is a noun.

The word “city” comes from Late Latin. From Old French cite, from Late Latin civitatem ("citizenry, community"), from Latin civis ("citizen").

“City” is a very common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A1 level.

“City” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a large, important settlement, generally bigger than a town and often with its own local government.

A city is larger and more important than a town, usually with a bigger population, a wider range of services, and often its own local government. The exact boundary varies by country: in the UK, city status is granted by royal charter, while in the US it depends on population and local law.

Every metropolis is a city, but not every city is a metropolis. A metropolis is a very large, densely populated city that acts as a major economic and cultural centre for its region, such as London or Tokyo. 'City' is the general term; 'metropolis' stresses exceptional size and importance.

There is no single worldwide rule. Common factors include a large population, dense development, a range of services and industries, and some form of self-government. In some countries an official status or charter is required, while in others any sufficiently large urban area is simply called a city by custom.

Paris, New York, Cairo, and Mumbai are all cities — large, important settlements with millions of residents. Smaller places such as Oxford or Cambridge also count, showing that a city is defined by its status and role rather than population size alone.