metropolis

noun

me·​trop·​o·​lis mə-ˈträ-p(ə-)ləs 

1

: the chief or capital city of a country, state, or region

2

: the city or state of origin of a colony (as of ancient Greece)

3

a

: a city regarded as a center of a specified activity

an industrial metropolis

a cattle metropolis

b

: a large important city

one of Europe's great metropolises

Synonyms of metropolis

• city
• town

Examples of metropolis in a Sentence

a big, teeming metropolis where ambitious people from all over come to make their mark

Recent Examples on the Web

The novels are a time-lapse panorama of a metropolis perpetually reshaped by its inhabitants. — Julian Lucas, New Yorker, 22 June 2026

The modern Miami metropolis was built over the ruins of an earlier civilization. — Andres Viglucci, Miami Herald, 30 June 2026

Less than five miles from the skyscrapers and frenzied metropolis of downtown Montreal, Côte-des-Neiges is a quieter, modern residential bubble. — Lex Harvey, CNN Money, 22 June 2026

On the other side of the country lies Vancouver, a nature-centric metropolis framed by the Pacific Ocean and the rugged North Shore Mountains. — Carinne Geil Botta, Forbes.com, 27 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Late Latin, from Greek mētropolis, from mētr-, mētēr mother + polis city — more at mother, police entry 1

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for metropolis

• acropolis
• monopolise
• necropolis
• megalopolis
• propolis

Kids Definition

metropolis

noun

me·​trop·​o·​lis mə-ˈträp-(ə-)ləs 

1

: the chief or capital city of a country, state, or region

2

: a large important city