A conurbation is a large built-up area that used to be several towns, but the towns have spread until their edges meet. There is often one big city in the middle, with a string of smaller cities and suburbs stuck to it, so that from the air it looks like one huge place to live. Planners and geographers use this word; ordinary people more often say 'the city' or 'the metro area'. Though actually, it is not just 'a big city with suburbs'. The point is that separate towns have grown into one another — you can drive from one old town centre to the next without ever leaving streets and buildings. A single city with a neat ring of suburbs is a weaker fit for this word than a chain of cities that have joined. The word was coined in 1915 by Patrick Geddes, a Scottish thinker who studied how cities grow.

連綿都市區、城市群（地理／都市計畫用語；日常多說都會區，但都會區意思較鬆）