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

No place on earth draws more fanatics than Penang, the world’s mecca for durian lovers. —Tom Downey, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 June 2025

Indianapolis has become a mecca for those activities as the home of the Indy 500 and the Pacers (who came up just short of winning the NBA crown this year). —Matthew Carey, Deadline, 25 June 2025

The dance floor is really the mecca for me now because that's where creativity, fashion, and music all comes together at the same time. —Nigel Smith, People.com, 23 June 2025

Tourists and commuters have multiple choices for sightseeing and transportation beyond dangerous, polluting helicopters, and NYC will still thrive as a tourist mecca with many fewer helicopters plaguing our skies. —Eric Katzman, New York Daily News, 25 May 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