neighborhood

noun

neigh·​bor·​hood ˈnā-bər-ˌhu̇d How to pronounce neighborhood (audio)
1
: neighborly relationship
… a closer feeling of brotherhood, a more efficient sense of neighborhoodNathaniel Hawthorne
2
: the quality or state of being neighbors : proximity
… refugees from the country, driven by fear or the neighborhood of armies.F. L. Paxson
3
a
: a place or region near : vicinity
traveled to a place somewhere in the neighborhood of that city
b
: an approximate amount, extent, or degree
cost in the neighborhood of $100
4
a
: the people living near one another
The whole neighborhood heard about it.
b
: a section lived in by neighbors and usually having distinguishing characteristics
lived in a quiet neighborhood
5
: the set (see set entry 2 sense 21) of all points belonging to a given set whose distances from a given point are less than a given positive (see positive entry 1 sense 4e) number
broadly : a set that contains a neighborhood

Examples of neighborhood in a Sentence

They bought a house in a beautiful neighborhood. The whole neighborhood heard about it.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
In cities that have an uneven distribution of foliage, neighborhoods featuring more greenery can offer a relative cooling effect, enabling residents to better withstand dangerously hot summers. Henna Hundal, Forbes.com, 28 Apr. 2025 Our friendly neighborhood fence lizard: Why Californians love this reptile. Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 27 Apr. 2025 In 2021, the Los Angeles Police Department confirmed that Dorit Kemsley was the subject of a home invasion Wednesday evening in the city's wealthy Encino neighborhood. Jay Stahl, USA Today, 27 Apr. 2025 Burke, of mixed Chinese American descent, bought the rundown 19th-century building for $700,000 in 2013 and invested more than $4 million in renovations, hoping to be a part of the historic neighborhood’s renaissance. Jason Motlagh, Rolling Stone, 27 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for neighborhood

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of neighborhood was in the 15th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Neighborhood.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/neighborhood. Accessed 3 May. 2025.

Kids Definition

neighborhood

noun
neigh·​bor·​hood ˈnā-bər-ˌhu̇d How to pronounce neighborhood (audio)
1
: the quality or state of being neighbors
2
a
: a place or region near : vicinity
b
: a number or amount near
cost in the neighborhood of $10
3
a
: the people living near one another
b
: a section lived in by people who consider themselves neighbors

More from Merriam-Webster on neighborhood

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