# suburb

/ˈsəbɝb/ (US) · /sˈʌbɜːb/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/suburb
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. residential area on city edge

noun · CEFR B1

an area where people live that is outside the center of a city but still part of it.

For teachers: a residential district situated on the outskirts of a city, typically characterized by lower density than the urban core.

- They decided to move to a quiet suburb so their children could have a garden.
- The rapid expansion of the northern suburbs has led to increased demand for better public transport links to the financial district.

### 2. urban subdivision

noun · CEFR B2 · British English · Dialect

any specific neighborhood or named area within a large city.

For teachers: a named administrative or geographical subdivision of a conurbation, regardless of its distance from the city center.

- He lives in a trendy inner-city suburb just a short walk from the harbor.
- The inner-city suburbs have seen significant gentrification over the last decade, with old warehouses being converted into luxury apartments.

Usage: Commonly used in Australia and New Zealand to refer to any urban address location.

Teaching tip: In American English, a suburb is strictly outside the city limits; in Australian English, even a central neighborhood is called a suburb.

## Examples

- They moved to a quiet suburb to have a bigger garden.
- Many people commute from the leafy suburbs into the city center for work every morning.
- The rapid expansion of the northern suburb has led to increased investment in public transport and local infrastructure to support the growing population.

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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.