com ‧ mu ‧ ni ‧ ty S1 W1 /kəˈmjuːnəti, kəˈmjuːnɪti/ BrE AmE noun ( plural communities )
[ Date: 1300-1400 ; Language: Old French ; Origin: comuneté , from Latin communitas , from communis ; ⇨ ↑ common 1 ]
1 . [ C, also + plural verb British English ] the people who live in the same area, town etc:
The new arts centre will serve the whole community.
community education programmes
community relations/affairs/needs etc
We meet once a month to discuss community problems.
community groups/leaders etc
Community leaders met to discuss the proposed golf course.
community spirit (=the desire to be friendly with and help other people who live in the same community)
2 . [countable] a group of people who have the same interests, religion, race etc:
different ethnic communities
the gay/black/Asian etc community
the gay community in San Francisco
the business/academic/scientific etc community
3 . the community society and the people in it:
The trend is towards reintegrating mentally ill people into the community.
the international community (=all the countries of the world)
The President appealed to the international community for aid for the flood victims.
4 . sense of community the feeling that you belong to a community
5 . [countable] a group of plants or animals that live in the same environment:
Communities of otters are slowly returning to British rivers.
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COLLOCATIONS (for Meaning 1)
■ adjectives
▪ the local community
Our school is the centre of the local community.
▪ the whole community
The committee meets to discuss issues that affect the whole community.
▪ a small/large community
75% of the population live in small communities of fewer than 450 people.
▪ the wider community (=the community of which a small group is a part)
The sports centre is available to both the university and the wider community.
▪ a rural community (=a community in a country area)
There is a need for better public transport for people in rural communities.
▪ a village community
Outside the capital, most people live in village communities.
▪ a farming community
a small farming community of about 1,000 inhabitants
▪ a mining community
She was brought up in a small mining community in North Wales.
▪ a close/close-knit/tight-knit community (=where all the people know each other)
I live in a close-knit community where there's lots of support.
▪ a thriving community (=a community which is successful)
In the past the village was a thriving community with a number of shops.
■ community + NOUN
▪ a community centre British English , community center American English (=where people can go for social events, classes etc)
A community centre is the ideal place for local residents to get together to discuss crime prevention.
▪ a community group
Community groups do not have enough say over what is built in their neighbourhoods.
▪ a community leader
Community leaders meet regularly to discuss local problems.
▪ community services (=providing schools, health facilities, roads etc)
Some tax goes towards paying for your community services.
▪ community relations
Poor community relations are more common in urban areas than in the rest of the country.
▪ community spirit (=wanting to give friendship and support to other people who live in the same community)
There is great community spirit in the village where I live.
▪ community care (=care for the sick, the old etc in their community rather than in hospital)
Several voluntary organizations are involved in providing community care.
▪ community education
Community education includes classes, workshops, and summer schools.
■ phrases
▪ a member of a community
It's good to feel that you are a member of a community.
▪ a pillar of the community (=a well respected and active member of a community)
The doctor was regarded as a pillar of the local community.
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COLLOCATIONS (for Meaning 2)
■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + community
▪ the business/scientific/academic etc community
The idea has received intense interest from the business community.
▪ the Jewish/Christian/Muslim etc community
The mosque serves the local Muslim community.
▪ a religious community (=people with a particular religion, who often keep themselves separate from society)
The buildings belong to a strict religious community.
▪ the black/white/Asian etc community
The city has a large Asian community.
▪ an ethnic community (=people of a particular race, usually one that is not white or not the majority in a country)
Most members of ethnic communities in Britain were born here.
▪ the gay community (=people who are homosexual)
This part of the city has a large gay community.
▪ a minority community (=people whose race, religion etc is different from most of the other people in the country)
There should be better provision for the needs of minority communities.