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neighborhood

n.
US //ˈneɪbɝˌhʊd// UK //nˈeɪbəhˌʊd// neigh·bor·hood
  1. 1 the local people (n.)
    B1 Intermediate American English

    the people who live near each other in a specific area.

    the collective inhabitants of a particular residential district.

    Example

    The whole neighborhood came together to help clean up the park after the storm.

    Example

    The neighborhood organized a block party to welcome the new families who had moved in during the summer.

    Usage

    Often functions as a collective noun.

  2. 2 approximate amount (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate American English Informal

    a general range or approximate amount of something, like a price.

    an approximate range or amount, typically used with 'in the' and 'of'.

    Example

    The repairs for the car will probably cost in the neighborhood of five hundred dollars.

    Example

    The final bid was in the neighborhood of three million euros, which significantly exceeded the initial estimates provided by the consultants.

    Usage

    Almost always used in the phrase 'in the neighborhood of'.

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  1. 3 mathematics (n.)
    C2 Proficiency Technical American English Math

    a set of points that are very close to a specific point.

    a set containing a given point such that one can move some distance from the point in any direction and remain within the set.

    Example

    The function is continuous in the neighborhood of the origin.

    Example

    For any point in the topological space, there exists a neighborhood that satisfies the given criteria for convergence.

Origin

From an alteration of earlier neighborred (“neighborhood”), from Middle English neȝeburredde, neheborreden, equivalent to neighbor + -red; the term being interpreted as neighbor + -hood. For change in suffix (-red to -hood), compare brotherhood. Cognates Cognate with Scots nichbourheid (“neighbourhood”). Compare also Dutch naburigheid (“neighbourhood”).

Word family
  • Nounhood
  • Nounneighborhood

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