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Definition of city noun from the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary

      

    city

     noun
    noun
    NAmE//ˈsɪt̮i//
     
    (pl. cities)
     
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  1. 1[countable] a large and important town one of the world's most beautiful cities a major city the country's capital city Mexico City Topic CollocationsTown and Countrytown
    • live in a city/a town/an urban environment/the suburbs/the (housing) projects/shanty towns/slums/ (informal) a concrete jungle/the ghetto
    • live downtown/in the downtown area/uptown/in midtown (Manhattan)
    • enjoy/like the hectic pace of life/the hustle and bustle of city life
    • cope with the stress/pressures of urban life
    • get caught up in the rat race
    • prefer/seek the anonymity of life in a big city
    • be drawn to/resist the lure of the big city
    • head for the bright lights (of the big city/New York)
    • enjoy/love the vibrant/lively nightlife
    • have/be close to all the amenities
    • be surrounded by towering skyscrapers/soulless suburban sprawl
    • use/travel by/rely on public transportation
    • put up with/get stuck in/sit in massive/huge/heavy/endless/constant traffic jams
    • tackle/ease/reduce/relieve/alleviate the heavy/severe (traffic) congestion
    • be affected by/choked with/damaged by pollution
    country
    • live in a village/the countryside/an isolated area/a rural backwater/ (informal) the sticks/the boondocks
    • enjoy/like the relaxed/slower pace of life
    • enjoy/love/explore the great outdoors
    • look for/find/get/enjoy a little peace and quiet
    • need/want to get back/closer to nature
    • be surrounded by open/unspoiled/picturesque/peaceful countryside
    • escape/quit/get out of/leave the rat race
    • seek/achieve a better/healthy work-life balance
    • downshift to a less stressful life
    • build/seek/start a new life in the country
    • pull up stakes and move to/head for…
    • create/build/foster a strong sense of community
    • depend on/be employed in/work in agriculture
    • live off/farm/work the land
    • tackle/address the problem of rural/small-town unemployment
    see inner city, sister city
  2. 2[countable] a town that has been given special rights by the state government an unincorporated area within the City of Monterey
  3. 3[singular] all the people who live in a city The city turned out to welcome the victorious team home.
  4. 4[countable] the government or employees of a city The city is working on implementing more recycling. city workers
  5. 5[uncountable] (informal) used after other nouns to say that a place is full of a particular thing It's not exactly fun city here, is it? cardboard city (= full of people living in cardboard boxes because they have nowhere else to live)
See city in the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary