mecca

noun

mec·​ca ˈme-kə 

often capitalized

: a place regarded as a center for a specified group, activity, or interest

a mecca for shoppers

Synonyms

• center
• hub
• capital
• heart
• focus

Examples of mecca in a Sentence

The valley is a mecca for wine lovers.

The town has become a mecca for tourists.

Recent Examples on the Web

Ross, who’s busy trying to build West Palm Beach into a mecca, could have spoken up during the offseason when his friends assuredly told him that Miami’s cornerback group was delinquently inadequate. —Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 7 Sep. 2025

Test yourself on melon meccas and revolutionary roots in this week's American Culture Quiz. —Staff, FOXNews.com, 29 Aug. 2025

Over the years, Hvar has earned a reputation as a mecca for club-goers—a place for people to come dance until sunrise and then ride the ferry back to the mainland, still drunk and reeling from the night before. —Ivana Rihter, Vogue, 21 Aug. 2025

The summer pastures near Prospect Mountain feature fisheries, expansive water rights dating back to the early 1900s, and rock-climbing meccas. —Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 19 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Mecca, Saudi Arabia, a destination of pilgrims in the Islamic world

First Known Use

1843, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for mecca

• caeca
• cheka
• decca
• theca
• areca
• azteca

Kids Definition

mecca

noun

mec·​ca ˈmek-ə 

often capitalized

: a place regarded as a center for a specified group, activity, or interest

a mecca for tourists

Etymology

named for Mecca, city in Arabia, the birthplace of Muhammad and the goal of Muslim pilgrimages

Geographical Definition

Mecca

geographical name

Mec·​ca ˈme-kə 

variants or Arabic Makkah

ˈmä-kə 

holy city in western Saudi Arabia population 1,294,106

Note: Mecca is the chief pilgrimage destination for Muslims and the capital of Hejaz.

Meccan

ˈme-kən 

adjective or noun