neighborhood
- 01 B1 Intermediate
the people who live near each other in a specific area.
the collective inhabitants of a particular residential district.
Simple“The whole neighborhood came together to help clean up the park after the storm.”
In context“The neighborhood organized a block party to welcome the new families who had moved in during the summer.”
UsageOften functions as a collective noun.
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
a general range or approximate amount of something, like a price.
an approximate range or amount, typically used with 'in the' and 'of'.
Simple“The repairs for the car will probably cost in the neighborhood of five hundred dollars.”
In context“The final bid was in the neighborhood of three million euros, which significantly exceeded the initial estimates provided by the consultants.”
UsageAlmost always used in the phrase 'in the neighborhood of'.
- 03 C2 Proficiency
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.
Simple“The function is continuous in the neighborhood of the origin.”
In context“For any point in the topological space, there exists a neighborhood that satisfies the given criteria for convergence.”
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”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.