mecca

noun

mec·​ca ˈme-kə How to pronounce mecca (audio)
often capitalized
: a place regarded as a center for a specified group, activity, or interest
a mecca for shoppers

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 While the South Florida hotspot is usually a mecca for spring breakers in mid-March, the city released a video breaking up with the annual event. Caitlin O'Kane, CBS News, 7 Mar. 2024 Records show the mayor’s net worth reached seven digits for the first time in 2021, as Suarez used his public office to promote Miami as a mecca for technology companies and venture capital. Sarah Blaskey, Miami Herald, 5 Feb. 2024 Olympia was a mecca of ancient Greek religion – its greatest sanctuary and one of its most important places of worship. Rick Steves, Chicago Tribune, 30 Jan. 2024 Part of the evening’s charm came from the location: Park City’s newest music mecca, the Marquis. William Earl, Variety, 21 Jan. 2024 Located in the 7th arrondissement, Saint Laurent Babylone is a mecca of art, music, literature, and, of course, fashion. Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 12 Feb. 2024 She was raised in northern Vermont next to Kingdom Trails, a mecca for skiers and mountain bikers. Jonathan Vigliotti, CBS News, 27 Jan. 2024 Most of them are in Kansas City, Kansas, the Mexican food mecca of the Midwest. David Hudnall, Kansas City Star, 19 Jan. 2024 Winter in Joshua Tree National Park is a mecca for rock climbers who take advantage of bouldering while the granite is cool. Sarah L. Stewart, Travel + Leisure, 19 Oct. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'mecca.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

1843, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of mecca was in 1843

Dictionary Entries Near mecca

Cite this Entry

“Mecca.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mecca. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

mecca

noun
mec·​ca ˈmek-ə How to pronounce mecca (audio)
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 How to pronounce Mecca (audio)
variants or Arabic Makkah
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 adjective or noun

More from Merriam-Webster on mecca

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