a state consisting of a sovereign city and its dependencies. Among the most famous are the great independent cities of the ancient world, such as Athens, Sparta, Carthage, Thebes, Corinth, and Rome
city-state in American English
(ˈsɪtiˌsteɪt)
noun
a state made up of an independent city and the territory directly controlled by it, as in ancient Greece
Examples of 'city-state' in a sentence
city-state
I tried to recall if the city-state had ever sent us ambassadors when Shrewd was king, then gave it up.
Robin Hobb THE GOLDEN FOOL: BOOK TWO OF THE TAWNY MAN (2002)
And so Cesare's campaign continued... His first objective was the small city-state Camerino.