A city is a large town that has been officially granted city status, typically because it has a cathedral or has received a royal charter. As an adjective modifier, city describes things relating to or characteristic of a city: city centre, city life, city council.
What Does City Mean?
City comes from Old French cité and Latin civitas, meaning "community of citizens" or "state". The Latin root civis (citizen) also gives English civil, civic, civilian, and civilisation. The word entered Middle English in the 13th century, originally referring specifically to a cathedral town.
In British English, a place formally becomes a city by royal charter or by having a cathedral, which is why some large towns (such as Guildford) were not officially cities for many years, while smaller towns with cathedrals (such as Wells, population under 12,000) hold city status. In everyday speech, however, city is used informally for any large urban area.
As a modifier before a noun — city centre, city dweller, city transport — city functions like an adjective, but it does not change form and cannot follow a linking verb on its own: you say "the area is urban", not "the area is city".
Example Sentences
| Sentence | Level & usage note |
|---|---|
| She moved to the city to attend a language school and immerse herself in English. | A2 — basic subject + verb + place |
| The city centre is always busy on Saturday afternoons. | A2/B1 — city as noun modifier |
| Living in a big city can be exciting, but it can also be quite expensive. | B1 — contrast clause; countable noun |
| The city council has approved a new plan to improve public transport across the borough. | B2 — formal/civic context; compound subject |
| The relentless pace of city life, coupled with rising housing costs, is driving many young professionals towards smaller towns. | C1 — complex sentence; participial phrase |
Collocations
| Collocation | Example |
|---|---|
| city centre | The museum is right in the city centre. |
| capital city | London is the capital city of England. |
| inner city | Inner city schools often face particular challenges. |
| city council | The city council voted to build a new library. |
| city life | She enjoys the variety and energy of city life. |
| host city | Paris was the host city for the 2024 Olympics. |
| city break | We booked a city break in Prague for the weekend. |
| city dweller | City dwellers tend to rely on public transport. |
| twin cities | Minneapolis and Saint Paul are known as the Twin Cities. |
| move to the city | Thousands of young people move to the city every year. |
Usage Notes
- Use the city (with the definite article) when referring to a specific city already known to both speakers: "I'm going into the city."
- Use a city when introducing the idea for the first time or speaking generically: "She has always wanted to live in a city."
- When city is part of an official name, capitalise it: New York City, the City of London. Note that the City of London refers specifically to the financial district, not Greater London.
- As a modifier, city is not hyphenated in most compounds: city centre, city council, city hall. The exception is attributive use before an adjective: city-wide.
Common Mistakes
Watch Out For
I live in city. It is very big.
I live in a city. It is very big. (countable noun — always needs an article)
London is more city than Manchester.
London is more urban than Manchester. (city cannot be used as a gradable adjective; use urban instead)
We visited the citys of Rome and Florence.
We visited the cities of Rome and Florence. (-y → -ies in the plural)