Meaning & use
Dublin
Last updated
Meanings
proper nounproper
The capital city of Ireland, on the east coast, and the country's main center of business and culture.
Grammar: Used as a name, so it takes no article: say 'I live in Dublin', not 'in the Dublin'.
Patterns
- in Dublin
- live in Dublin
- Dublin's something
- go to Dublin
She moved to Dublin last year to study history.
Our flight lands in Dublin early in the morning.
Dublin has become a popular destination for weekend trips.
proper nounproper
The county in eastern Ireland that contains this city and the area around it.
Grammar: Often appears in addresses and sports contexts as 'County Dublin' or 'Co. Dublin'.
Patterns
- County Dublin
- in County Dublin
They bought a small house in County Dublin.
The team represents County Dublin in the championship.
Common combinations
- live in Dublin
- Many young graduates live in Dublin because of the jobs there.
- fly to Dublin
- We fly to Dublin every summer to see my cousins.
- the city of Dublin
- The city of Dublin is famous for its Georgian streets.
- County Dublin
- Her family has farmed in County Dublin for generations.
- Dublin airport
- Dublin airport gets very busy before Christmas.
Synonyms and how they differ
- the Irish capital
- A descriptive phrase rather than a name; use it when you want to avoid repeating 'Dublin' in a text.
Word family
- Dubliner noun
- A person who comes from Dublin.
Commonly confused: Dublin or Doublin?
Dublin vs Doublin
A common misspelling. The city name has one 'o' and ends in '-lin', not '-lin' with a double 'o'.
Practice
Choose the sentence that uses the name correctly.
Choose one answer.
City names take no article and use 'in' for location, so 'in Dublin' is correct. 'In the Dublin' and 'in a Dublin' wrongly add articles, and 'at Dublin' treats the city like a point on a map rather than a place you live.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “Dublin”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.