neighbourhood

neighbourhood — noun

1. a residential part of a town, made up of the homes, streets, and local shops clo

1.nounA2
Definition

a residential part of a town, made up of the homes, streets, and local shops close to where a person lives, together with the people dwelling in that area

Example

Niran has lived in the same quiet neighbourhood for over twenty years.

collocation: quiet neighbourhood

The whole neighbourhood came together to organise a street party for the summer fair.

collective noun: the whole neighbourhood + verb of community action

Common collocations
  • quiet neighbourhood
  • friendly neighbourhood
  • safe neighbourhood
  • neighbourhood watch
  • neighbourhood park / school / shop
  • live in a neighbourhood
  • move to a neighbourhood
Synonyms
  • area

    broader term — does not imply community or residents

  • district

    more formal, often an official or administrative division

  • community

    emphasises the people and their relationships more than the physical location

Usage Note

Sense 1 describes a residential zone with community life. Common collocates include adjectives of character (quiet, friendly, safe), verbs of community action (come together, hold, organise), and the fixed compound neighbourhood watch. Sense 2 (SURROUNDING REGION) is used instead when the reference point is a non-residential landmark (a factory, a station, a volcano).

Common Mistakes

My next-door neighbourhood is very noisy at night.
My next-door neighbour is very noisy at night.
A neighbourhood is an area, not a single person living next door.
The neighbourhood are planning a picnic.
The neighbourhood is planning a picnic.
In standard British English, neighbourhood as a collective noun takes a singular verb.

2. the area that lies close to a particular place or landmark, without being a resi

2.nounB1
Definition

the area that lies close to a particular place or landmark, without being a residential community

Example

The hotel is in the neighbourhood of the railway station, a short walk away.

preposition pattern: in the neighbourhood of [place]

The neighbourhood of the volcano is monitored closely by scientists for signs of activity.

Common collocations
  • in the neighbourhood of [place]
  • the immediate neighbourhood
  • the surrounding neighbourhood
  • the wider neighbourhood
Synonyms
  • vicinity

    slightly more formal; used especially in official contexts (in the vicinity of the airport)

  • surroundings

    emphasises the general environment, not a bounded zone

  • locality

    formal; refers to a broader defined area or neighbourhood

Grammar Patterns

in the neighbourhood of + place

Common Mistakes

The hotel is in the neighbourhood from the station.
The hotel is in the neighbourhood of the station.
The fixed preposition is of, not from.
I visited the neighbourhood of the museum to see the exhibition.' (when meaning inside the museum)
I visited the museum, which is in the neighbourhood of the main square.
Sense 2 describes proximity, not the location itself.
Idioms

in the neighbourhood of

idiom

Used to say that a number or amount is close to a particular figure but not exact.

The new laptop costs in the neighbourhood of $800.

Are there in the neighbourhood of fifty guests at the party?

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

A neighbourhood is a residential zone with a sense of shared community — streets where people know their neighbours, local shops, and a social character. Area is the broadest term: any part of a town, city, or region, with no community meaning attached (a shopping area, a rural area). District is an official or administrative division, often drawn on maps for governance or planning (the financial district, a school district). Community centres on the people and their mutual bonds rather than the physical location — a community can exist without a fixed geography (an online community, a faith community). Vicinity refers only to geographical proximity and never carries social or residential meaning. For example: 'She found a welcoming neighbourhood' describes the social atmosphere; 'She moved to a residential area' is a factual statement; 'She joined a local community group' emphasises people, not place.

area ↗district ↗community ↗vicinity ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • in the neighbourhood
  • throughout the neighbourhood
  • the whole neighbourhood

Prepositions

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

Comes from the Middle English word 'neighbourhede', built from Old English 'nēah' (near) + 'ġebūr' (dweller, farmer) + '-hād' (state or condition). The suffix '-hood' (Old English '-hād') indicates a collective state, as seen in 'childhood' or 'brotherhood'. So the original meaning was 'the condition of being near-dwellers' — neighbours living close together as a group. Over time this came to refer to the physical area where those neighbours lived.