a semi-autonomous city under international control, as Danzig between WWI and WWII
free city in American English
noun
a city having an independent government and forming a sovereign state by itself
Word origin
[1610–20]This word is first recorded in the period 1610–20. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: camber, integration, intonation, tank, technical
Examples of 'free city' in a sentence
free city
A free city in the heart of a hostile country cannot afford to be neutralist.
The Times Literary Supplement (2013)
His account of kings and emperors, archbishoprics and free cities is a demanding but rewarding intellectual treat, like contemplating a fabulously intricate clockwork mechanism.