suburb
noun /ˈsʌbɜːb/
/ˈsʌbɜːrb/
(also North American English, informal the burbs)
- an area where people live that is outside the centre of a city
- a suburb of London
- a London suburb
- in the suburbs They live in the suburbs.
Collocations Town and countryTown and countryTown- live in a city/a town/an urban environment/(informal) a concrete jungle/the suburbs/shanty towns/slums
- live (especially North American English) downtown/in the downtown area/(British English) in the city centre
- enjoy/like the hectic pace of life/the hustle and bustle of city life
- cope with the stress/pressure of urban life
- get caught up in the rat race
- prefer/seek the anonymity of life in a big city
- be drawn by/resist the lure of the big city
- head for the bright lights (of the big city/New York)
- enjoy/love the vibrant/lively nightlife
- have/be close to all the amenities
- be surrounded by towering skyscrapers/a soulless urban sprawl
- use/travel by/rely on (British English) public transport/(North American English) public transportation
- put up with/get stuck in/sit in massive/huge/heavy/endless/constant traffic jams
- tackle/ease/reduce/relieve/alleviate the heavy/severe traffic congestion
- be affected/choked/damaged by pollution
- live in a village/the countryside/an isolated area/a rural backwater/(informal) the sticks
- enjoy/like the relaxed/slower pace of life
- enjoy/love/explore the great outdoors
- look for/find/get/enjoy a little peace and quiet
- need/want to get back/closer to nature
- be surrounded by open/unspoilt/picturesque countryside
- escape/quit/get out of/leave the rat race
- seek/achieve a better/healthy work-life balance
- downshift to a less stressful life
- seek/start a new life in the country
- (British English, informal) up sticks/ (North American English, informal ) pull up stakes and move to/head for…
- create/build/foster a strong sense of community
- depend on/be employed in/work in agriculture
- live off/farm/work the land
- tackle/address the problem of rural unemployment
Wordfindersee also garden suburb- amenity
- city
- ghetto
- high-rise
- metropolitan
- population
- slum
- suburb
- town
- urban
Extra ExamplesTopics Geographyb2, Buildingsb2- As soon as we can afford it, we'll move to the suburbs.
- For a child from the suburbs, a trip to the city was a great adventure.
- She's renting in a suburb of Boston.
- The middle-class suburbs are growing fast.
- out beyond the sprawling suburbs
- the coastal suburbs of the capital
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- outer
- outlying
- inner
- …
- move to
- grow
- from the suburbs
- in a/the suburb
- in the suburbs
- …
Word OriginMiddle English: from Old French suburbe or Latin suburbium, from sub- ‘near to’ + urbs, urb- ‘city’.