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The Suburbs vs. the Urbs
Given that most of the common words in our language beginning sub- tend to have meanings concerned with “beneath” (as in subterranean and submarine) or “less than” (as with subpar), you would be forgiven for assuming that the suburbs were so named because of their location below, or their status as less than, their urban counterparts. Not so, however: sub- may have other meanings at the beginning of a word; in this case, it indicates not depth or inferiority, but proximity. In other words, the suburbs are a region close to the urbs.
Is urbs an English word? Yes; it is rarely used, but it refers typically to a city, particularly when distinguished from a suburb.
Examples of suburb in a Sentence
Francesca Pica, jsonline.com, 29 Dec. 2025
This 8-foot-tall bridge in downtown Loveland has been the subject of social media jokes and driver frustration in the Cincinnati suburb for years.
—Victoria Moorwood, Cincinnati Enquirer, 29 Dec. 2025
The owners of a consignment shop in Chicago's northwest suburbs said they are devastated after thieves nearly wiped out their entire inventory in a matter of seconds.
—Todd Feurer, CBS News, 29 Dec. 2025
The win puts the spotlight on the Little Rock suburb of about 27,000 residents, though the winner’s identity may remain a mystery for some time.
—Toni Odejimi, CNN Money, 26 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for suburb
Cite this Entry
“Suburb.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/suburb. Accessed 31 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
suburb
noun
Middle English suburb "part around the outer edge of a city," from early French (same meaning), from Latin suburbium (same meaning), from sub "under, close to" and urbs "city"
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