adjective

• 1In, relating to, or characteristic of a town or city.

  ‘the urban population’

  More example sentences

  • ‘Dublin was the earliest of the Irish towns to take on urban characteristics.’
  • ‘The growth of large civilisations has meant that large cities and urban areas have been built in many parts of the world.’
  • ‘Apart from such forest types one can see this tree in urban and suburban areas close to the city, he adds.’
  • ‘It is one of only two formal ways for members of the rural population to move to urban areas.’
  • ‘The growth in population is part of the city council's urban development strategy.’
  • ‘A massive migration from rural to urban areas characterized the twentieth century.’
  • ‘The town was one of the six fastest growing urban areas in Ireland, according to the last census.’
  • ‘If you compare the urban areas of the two towns, they have very similar funding levels.’
  • ‘I'm becoming increasingly interested in urban design and town planning, mainly as a consumer.’
  • ‘Ballina Town Council has drawn up new by-laws to amend speed limits on urban roads in the town.’
  • ‘It sees the area around City Hall as a lake and the rest of the city as a vast urban park with shops, houses and a dramatic bridge of learning.’
  • ‘He says the action is in the cities, where urban elites are the future of the country.’
  • ‘It is a dense city with distinct urban cores, practical and delightful to traverse on foot.’
  • ‘The city's own official urban designer, Sir Terry Farrell, called the scheme a disaster.’
  • ‘We both grew up in the city and are urban girls who love the country.’
  • ‘The masterplan for Bradford aims to breathe new life into the city through an urban park, a lake and wetlands.’
  • ‘It may come as a surprise to city dwellers, but urban environments could be the ideal place for humans to live.’
  • ‘We need to preserve places we can go to when we need to get away from the lunacy of urban, busy cities.’
  • ‘The development would either be an urban extension of the town or a new village.’
  • ‘They live in a suburb of Boston in a mansion that looks like an urban city library.’

  Synonyms

  built-up, town, city, inner-city, densely populated, townified, citified, metropolitan, suburban, non-rural

  View synonyms

• 2

  (also urban contemporary)

  Denoting or relating to popular dance music associated with black performers.

  ‘hip-hop's traditionally urban vibe’

  More example sentences

  • ‘They are also more tuned in to radio, listening some 22.6 hours per week, and often turn their dials to black gospel and urban contemporary stations.’
  • ‘As a solo performer from the 1970s onwards, he's been one of the staples of urban contemporary music.’
  • ‘For instance, if someone is listening to an urban contemporary station, the candidate advertisements should reflect the same format and use similar types of music.’
  • ‘This is on urban contemporary radio stations, primarily.’
  • ‘It's a fact that the UK's urban music scene produces blistering talent that just cannot be ignored.’
  • ‘They're the ones bringing out the major stars, especially in urban music.’
  • ‘Remember, many an urban music legend started out playing to their teddy bears.’
  • ‘I think of all these styles as being forms of modern urban folk music.’
  • ‘It was a crucible of new black urban music, influenced by American jazz.’
  • ‘A lot of urban artists were being dropped and there was general confusion of viability of urban music.’
  • ‘Unlike many urban albums The Diary of Alicia Keys is refreshing in its lack of featured artists.’
  • ‘It's darker, more urban and a more personal record with the focus having shifted to one of song writing as well as tune making.’
  • ‘With live bass and drums, synths and samples Tokyo specialise in squelchy electronica with a dark urban edge.’
  • ‘The artist has developed a huge following for the way in which his urban sound fuses elements of R'n'B, rap and soul.’
  • ‘It snowballed from pirates and urban stations to the mainstream shows it's getting played on now.’
  • ‘He continues to set the standards that so many urban artists fail to reach.’
  • ‘It may be more commercial than the urban sound of earlier tracks, but that's no bad thing.’
  • ‘Based on sales, it explores the best in rock, urban, dance and indie music.’
  • ‘Like most in the urban music scene Michael is frustrated by the lack of support shown to homegrown acts in the UK.’
  • ‘This is a critical function that for me is missing from the more urban genres of music.’

  1. 2.1Denoting popular black culture in general.
     ‘an urban comedy’
     More example sentences

     • ‘urban clothing and street wear’