neighborhood

noun

neigh·​bor·​hood ˈnā-bər-ˌhu̇d 

1

: neighborly relationship

… a closer feeling of brotherhood, a more efficient sense of neighborhood …

—Nathaniel Hawthorne

2

: the quality or state of being neighbors : proximity

… refugees from the country, driven by fear or the neighborhood of armies.

—F. L. Paxson

3

a

: a place or region near : vicinity

traveled to a place somewhere in the neighborhood of that city

b

: an approximate amount, extent, or degree

cost in the neighborhood of $100

4

a

: the people living near one another

The whole neighborhood heard about it.

b

: a section lived in by neighbors and usually having distinguishing characteristics

lived in a quiet neighborhood

5

: the set (see set entry 2 sense 21) of all points belonging to a given set whose distances from a given point are less than a given positive (see positive entry 1 sense 4e) number

broadly : a set that contains a neighborhood

Synonyms

• matter
• tune
• vicinity

Examples of neighborhood in a Sentence

They bought a house in a beautiful neighborhood.

The whole neighborhood heard about it.

Recent Examples on the Web

Last month, seven people died, including one in a car on the ground, after a twin-engine medevac jet carrying a child patient and her mother crashed in a neighborhood in northeast Philadelphia. —Ben Morse, CNN, 14 Feb. 2025

The number 18 located at the bottom of the jersey represents the 18 San Diego neighborhoods that have been the centerpiece of the club’s outreach and marketing efforts over the last year. —Ryan Finley, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Feb. 2025

Here’s a look at Miami’s Little Havana neighborhood, anchored by Calle Ocho, from the Miami Herald photo archives: Business People Streets This story was originally published February 14, 2025 at 10:24 AM. —Miami Herald Archive, Miami Herald, 14 Feb. 2025

Janel Tassy, 28, of Delray Beach, is accused of shooting to death James Apollonio, 54, in the Rainbow Homes neighborhood, near the 1200 block of Southwest 22nd Avenue, about 12:30 a.m. Feb. 3. —Angie Dimichele, Sun Sentinel, 14 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing neighborhood

• in the neighborhood
• in the neighborhood of
• neighborhood watch

Kids Definition

neighborhood

noun

neigh·​bor·​hood ˈnā-bər-ˌhu̇d 

1

: the quality or state of being neighbors

2

a

: a place or region near : vicinity

b

: a number or amount near

cost in the neighborhood of $10

3

a

: the people living near one another

b

: a section lived in by people who consider themselves neighbors