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urbanization

/ərbɪnaɪˈzeɪʃɪn/
/əbənaɪˈzeɪʃən/
IPA guide

If a skyscraper is blocking the view of farmland you once had from your house window, urbanization is happening. Urbanization is a word for becoming more like a city.

When populations of people grow, the population of a place may spill over from city to nearby areas. This is called urbanization. Maybe tall apartment buildings spring up on what had been the outskirts of town, bringing more people there to live and work. Urbanization can also apply to how people live. For example, if they stop driving their cars and instead rely on public transportation, as most people in cities do, that's urbanization.

Definitions of urbanization
  1. noun
    the social process whereby cities grow and societies become more urban
    synonyms: urbanisation
    see moresee less
    type of:
    social process
    a process involved in the formation of groups of persons
  2. noun
    the condition of being urbanized
    synonyms: urbanisation
    see moresee less
    type of:
    condition, status
    a state at a particular time
Pronunciation
US
/ərbɪnaɪˈzeɪʃɪn/
UK
/əbənaɪˈzeɪʃən/
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DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘urbanization'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors. Send us feedback
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