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global city

Definition of Global City

(noun) A city that has international political influence, home to multinational corporations and non-governmental organizations, in addition to a globally influential mass media, and well-developed communication and transportation system.

Global City Pronunciation

Pronunciation Usage Guide

Syllabification: glob·al cit·y

Audio Pronunciation

– American English
– British English

Phonetic Spelling

  • American English – /glOH-buhl sIt-ee/
  • British English – /glOH-buhl sIt-ee/

International Phonetic Alphabet

  • American English – /ˈgloʊbəl ˈsɪti/
  • British English – /ˈgləʊbəl ˈsɪti/

Usage Notes

  • Plural: global cities
  • Also called:
    • alpha city
    • world center
    • world city

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Additional Information

Related Terms


Works Consulted

Dillon, Michele. 2014. Introduction to Sociological Theory: Theorists, Concepts, and their Applicability to the Twenty-First Century. 2nd ed. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell.

Ferris, Kerry, and Jill Stein. 2010. The Real World: An Introduction to Sociology. 2nd ed. New York: Norton.

Wikipedia contributors. (N.d.) Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. (https://en.wikipedia.org/).

Cite the Definition of Global City

ASA – American Sociological Association (5th edition)

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “global city.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Retrieved March 29, 2024 (https://sociologydictionary.org/global-city/).

APA – American Psychological Association (6th edition)

global city. (2013). In K. Bell (Ed.), Open education sociology dictionary. Retrieved from https://sociologydictionary.org/global-city/

Chicago/Turabian: Author-Date – Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition)

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “global city.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Accessed March 29, 2024. https://sociologydictionary.org/global-city/.

MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)

“global city.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2013. Web. 29 Mar. 2024. <https://sociologydictionary.org/global-city/>.