# citizen

/ˈsɪtəzən/ (US) · /sˈɪtɪzən/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/citizen
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. legal member of a country

noun · CEFR B2

a person who is a legal member of a country and has rights like voting.

For teachers: a legally recognized subject or national of a state or commonwealth, either native or naturalized.

- After living in the country for ten years, she finally became a citizen.
- The constitution guarantees that every citizen has the right to a fair trial and the freedom to participate in democratic elections.

### 2. resident of a city

noun · CEFR B2

someone who lives in a particular town or city.

For teachers: an inhabitant of a city or town, especially one entitled to the rights and privileges of a free person in that municipality.

- The mayor asked the citizens of the town to help keep the parks clean.
- The local council held a public forum to address the concerns of the citizens regarding the proposed redevelopment of the historic district.

### 3. a civilian

noun · CEFR C1 · Formal

a person who is not in the police or the military.

For teachers: a member of the general public as distinguished from specialized state groups such as the military or police force.

- The police officer was praised for his polite treatment of the citizen.
- The report highlighted the importance of maintaining a clear distinction between military operations and the rights of the private citizen.

### 4. software entity

noun · CEFR C2 · Technical

a piece of software or data that is treated as a full member of a system.

For teachers: an entity within a software environment, such as an object or application, that is granted full rights and capabilities within that system.

- In this programming language, functions are treated as first-class citizens.
- By treating asynchronous tasks as first-class citizens, the framework allows developers to manage complex operations with minimal boilerplate code.

Usage: Often used in the phrase 'first-class citizen' to describe data types that can be passed as arguments.

## Examples

- Every citizen has the right to vote in the election.
- The local government held a meeting to hear the concerns of every citizen living in the downtown area.
- While the treaty grants freedom of movement to all residents, only a full citizen may hold high-ranking public office or participate in national referendums.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.