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

Before New York became a sprawling metropolis, its rolling hills, deep valleys, and tidal salt marshes were part of a larger estuarine ecosystem that was home to countless flora and fauna. — Francesca Aton, ARTnews.com, 30 July 2026

The French maison just opened a new spa in Venice at Hotel Cipriani last week, marking the first time the house has made its wellness practices in the Italian metropolis a permanent experience. — Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 27 July 2026

In all the time since, the water flowed through that line under the many incarnations of the Sunset Strip, feeding smaller pipes that quenched a growing metropolis that expanded from about 500,000 people to 4 million. — Steve Lopez, Los Angeles Times, 25 July 2026

Google is snatching up more office space in the South Florida metropolis, just as its cofounders are buying million-dollar mansions right on the waterfront. — Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 22 July 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