suburb

suburb — noun

1. A residential neighbourhood close to the boundary of a large city, where many of

1.nounB1
Definition

A residential neighbourhood close to the boundary of a large city, where many of the people who work downtown live and commute from each day.

Example

The Kwok family left the city centre for a quiet suburb with more space.

move from + [centre] + to + [suburb]

Each morning, Asher takes the train from his suburb into the city for work.

travel from + [suburb] + into + [city]

Common collocations
  • quiet suburb
  • leafy suburb
  • affluent suburb
  • outer suburb
  • inner suburb
  • live in the suburbs
  • move to the suburbs
  • grow up in a suburb
  • a suburb of [city]
Synonyms
  • outskirts

    plural; refers to the very edge of a city rather than a named residential district

  • commuter town

    a separate town whose residents travel to a larger city for work; more specific than suburb

  • residential area

    broader; any area where people live, not necessarily on the city edge

Antonyms
  • city centre

    the central business and shopping district of a city

  • downtown

    especially in American English, the main commercial area

Grammar Patterns

a suburb of [city]

the suburbs of [city]

in a suburb / in the suburbs

move to the suburbs

live in the suburbs

Usage Note

Countable noun. When referring to the general suburban area around a city as a whole, the plural 'the suburbs' is more common than the singular 'a suburb'. Use 'of' to name the nearest city: a suburb of Tokyo, the suburbs of London.

Common Mistakes

I live at a suburb of Taipei.
I live in a suburb of Taipei.
use 'in' with suburb, not 'at'.
The suburb is far from the city.
A suburb is on the edge of the city, within commuting distance.
suburbs are near the city boundary, not far away.
Suburb is quieter than the city.
The suburbs are quieter than the city centre.
use the definite article and plural form when speaking generally.

2. The parts of a town that lie outside the central shopping and business district,

2.nounB1
Definition

The parts of a town that lie outside the central shopping and business district, where most houses are located.

Example

Lucía prefers the suburbs because the streets are quieter than the town centre.

in the suburbs (contrast: town centre)

Most of the town's gyms and restaurants are in the centre, not in the suburbs.

Common collocations
  • in the suburbs
  • to the suburbs
  • the outer suburbs
Synonyms
  • outskirts

    the very edge of a town; overlaps with suburbs but also includes non-residential land

  • periphery

    more formal, neutral term for the outer boundary of any area

Antonyms
  • town centre

    the central district with shops, businesses, and public buildings

  • city centre

    the equivalent in a larger city

Grammar Patterns

in the suburbs

to the suburbs

the suburbs of [town]

contrast with: in the centre / downtown

Usage Note

Almost always used in the plural ('the suburbs') when describing the outer zone of a town. Most natural in contrastive sentences that set the suburbs against the centre or downtown.

Common Mistakes

Let's meet at a café in the suburbs.
Let's meet at a café in the town centre.
in small towns, social venues are concentrated in the centre, not the suburbs.

Word family

  • suburban
    adjectiveB1
  • suburbia
    nounC1
  • suburbanite
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

While all three words refer to areas beyond a city centre, they differ in scope and connotation. 'Outskirts' (always plural) describes the very edge of a city — the boundary zone where urban meets rural — and can apply to any settlement, not just residential districts. 'Commuter town' names a specific type of suburb that is a separate town with its own centre, whose residents travel daily to a larger city for work; it is narrower than 'suburb' because not every suburb is its own town. 'Suburbia' is an abstract, often slightly ironic term for the collective culture and lifestyle of the suburbs, not a physical location. For example: 'The factory is on the outskirts of Manchester.' 'Harrogate is a commuter town for Leeds.' 'Suburbia can feel quiet, but some people genuinely love it.'

outskirtscommuter townsuburbia

Common collocations

Nouns

  • life
  • resident
  • community
  • dweller
  • train
  • bus
  • commute

Adverbs

  • just outside
  • further out

Phrases

  • in the suburbs
  • to the suburbs
  • a suburb of [city]
  • the suburbs of [city]

Prepositions

  • in
  • to
  • from
  • of
  • into

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchEnglish

Suburb comes from Latin 'suburbium', made of 'sub-' (under, near) and 'urbs' (city). In ancient Rome it described the area just outside the city walls. The word travelled into English through Old French 'suburbe' around the 1300s.