city vs city limits

city and city limits both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
city	Yes	No	No	No
city limits	Yes	No	No	No

city (noun)	city limits (noun)
people living in a large densely populated municipality	the limits of the area occupied by a city or town
a large and densely populated urban area; may include several independent administrative districts
an incorporated administrative district established by state charter