Meaning & use
bedroom communities
Last updated
“bedroom communities” is a form of “bedroom community”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meaning
nounpluralinformalAmerican
Residential towns where most people live but travel to a nearby city for work.
Grammar: The singular form is 'bedroom community'; the plural is 'bedroom communities'. It is usually used with a plural verb.
Patterns
- a bedroom community for something
- a bedroom community of a city
Many bedroom communities have grown quickly because housing in the city is too expensive.
She grew up in one of the bedroom communities outside Boston.
The new train line will make these bedroom communities more attractive to young families.
Word forms
| singular | bedroom community |
|---|
Common combinations
- a bedroom community for commuters
- The town is a bedroom community for commuters who work in the capital.
- a bedroom community outside a city
- They moved to a bedroom community outside the city to find cheaper housing.
- grow into a bedroom community
- The village grew into a bedroom community after the highway was built.
Synonyms and how they differ
- commuter town
- This is the more common British term for the same idea; 'bedroom community' is mainly American and slightly informal.
- dormitory town
- This British term is similar but can sound slightly old-fashioned or disapproving.
- suburb
- A suburb is any residential area near a city; a bedroom community is specifically a whole town where most residents commute elsewhere.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'bedroom communities' correctly?
Choose one answer.
The answer fits because a bedroom community is a residential town whose residents commute to a city for work. Option 0 is wrong because these towns are mainly residential, not places of work. Option 2 confuses the term with a literal bedroom. Option 3 is nonsense.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “bedroom communities”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.