inner city

noun

: the usually older, poorer, and more densely populated central section of a city
inner-city adjective

Examples of inner city in a Sentence

The mayor is trying to attract new businesses to the inner city.
Recent Examples on the Web On this occasion, those deemed eligible to vote came from the inner city, where fewer people are likely to drive SUVs. Ryan Hogg, Fortune Europe, 5 Feb. 2024 Freddie was in Washington D.C., living down the street from a community center where a non-profit group was helping kids from the inner city, kids who were slipping through the cracks, toward dark places. Gregg Doyel, The Indianapolis Star, 25 Jan. 2024 This is a world where anything seems possible, which seems quite bracing given the way that the inner city, particularly in New York, was depicted in the early 1980s. Vulture, 15 Sep. 2023 A lot of kids don’t have a two-parent household, especially in the inner city. The Indianapolis Star, 31 Jan. 2024 Good Times, however, focused on a family struggling with poverty in the inner city, providing a different perspective. Shelby Stewart, Essence, 8 Feb. 2024 The eligible voters are those who live in the inner city and are less likely to drive SUVs than their suburban neighbors. Karla Adam, Washington Post, 4 Feb. 2024 The majority of services in this country are focused on the inner cities. CBS News, 14 Jan. 2024 This is home to one of the nation’s top high school basketball powers and arguably its most unique, a roster of mostly Black kids from the inner city. Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Nov. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'inner city.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1958, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of inner city was in 1958

Dictionary Entries Near inner city

Cite this Entry

“Inner city.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inner%20city. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

inner city

noun
: the usually older and more heavily populated central section of a city
inner-city adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on inner city

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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