Chicago Definition & Meaning

American

British

Cultural

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Examples

Synonyms Chicago American [shi-kah-goh, -kaw-] / ʃɪˈkɑ goʊ, -ˈkɔ- /

noun

1. Judy Judy Cohen, born 1939, U.S. artist, author, and educator.

2. a city in NE Illinois, on Lake Michigan: second largest city in the U.S.

3. a river formed in Chicago that flows through downtown and, as engineered, to the Des Plaines River: part of the Illinois Waterway.

Chicago British / ʃɪˈkɑːɡəʊ /

noun

1. a port in NE Illinois, on Lake Michigan: the third largest city in the US; it is a major railway and air traffic centre. Pop: 2 869 121 (2003 est)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 Chicago Cultural

1. Largest city in Illinois; located on Lake Michigan.

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Carl Sandburg, in his poem “Chicago,” called the city the “Hog Butcher for the World” because of Chicago's heavy involvement in the meatpacking industry.

During the time of Prohibition, Chicago was controlled by gangsters, Al Capone being the most notorious. Gangster warfare continued long after this particularly violent period.

Originally called the “Windy City” because the city bragged about the 1893 World Expo that was held there. The term has since come to refer to the strong northern winds that blow off the lake in the winter.

Chicago's downtown is referred to as the “Loop” because it is enclosed by elevated railways, called the “El.”

For many years the second largest city in the United States, before being displaced by Los Angeles, and therefore referred to as the “Second City.”

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Ken Griffin relocated himself and the headquarters of his Citadel hedge fund from Chicago to Miami.

From The Wall Street Journal

The Federal Aviation Administration is looking to cut flights this summer at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, where United Airlines and American Airlines are currently duking it out for supremacy.

From The Wall Street Journal

The Brewers bested the Chicago Cubs in the NL Central by five games, despite having a payroll nearly $100 million lower than their rival, and reached the National League Championship Series.

From Los Angeles Times

Barron’s reported in early February that the regulator’s storied Chicago office had zero enforcement attorneys and progress on enforcement actions had been slowed by layoffs and attrition.

From Barron's

Nearing his 126th show, Fedigan has worked his way up the ranks from subbing in as a spotlight operator to overseeing the entire technical production of hit shows like “Chicago.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.