conurbation
/ˌkɒnəˈbeɪʃn/ (bre, ipa) · /ˌkɑːnərˈbeɪʃn/ (ame, ipa) · /ˌkä-(ˌ)nər-ˈbā-shən/ (ame, mw)
conurbation — noun
- conurbationsingular
- conurbationsplural
1. a wide built-up area created when several nearby towns expand until they join in
a wide built-up area created when several nearby towns expand until they join into one connected urban region
On the map, the Leeds conurbation looks like one long spread of streets.
pattern: the [city] conurbation
Jin commutes across the conurbation by train from one old mill town to another.
collocation: across the conurbation
New housing estates filled the gaps between villages, turning them into a conurbation.
Beatrix grew up in a conurbation where six towns shared buses, schools, and hospitals.
The airport serves the whole conurbation, not just the central city.
- metropolitan area
broader; can include outer commuter districts that are not physically joined
- urban area
more general; does not specifically suggest separate towns merging together
- megalopolis
much larger and less common; often used for an enormous chain of major cities
- rural area
an area of countryside with few buildings and a low population
文法句型
a conurbation around [city]
the [city] conurbation
live/work across the conurbation
turn [towns/villages] into a conurbation
用法筆記
Common in geography and town-planning writing rather than everyday speech. It usually refers to a continuous built-up area made from several towns, not simply one large city or a wider commuter region.