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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
Lisa Hagen, Hartford Courant, 14 June 2025
The Mizrahi family was in their home's bomb shelter when a missile hit close by in their suburb of Rishon LeZion, outside Tel Aviv.
—Rebecca Rosman, NPR, 14 June 2025
Based in the North Shore suburb of New Zealand’s largest city, the club boasts a squad comprised solely of players who work or study full-time in addition to their soccer careers.
—Rory Fleming, CNN Money, 13 June 2025
This town has an occupational mix that’s common to many suburbs.
—Andrew Depietro, Forbes.com, 13 June 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 18 Jun. 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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