Definition of MECCA

The Figurative Use of Mecca

Mecca is one of a number of place names which have taken on figurative meanings over time. This city in Saudi Arabia is the birthplace of Muhammad and the site which Muslims must attempt to visit on a pilgrimage; from its role as a religious destination Mecca began to be used in the early 19th century (sometimes capitalized, and sometimes not) in a non-religious sense. Other locations (some of which are fictional) that have taken on this kind of extended meaning are Eden, Camelot, and Wall Street.

Examples of mecca in a Sentence

Noun

The valley is a mecca for wine lovers. The town has become a mecca for tourists.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Whidbey, Washington Just north of Seattle, the 55-mile long Whidbey Island is an outdoorsy mecca, dotted with small towns and crisscrossed by hiking trails, surrounded by the clear, clean waters of Puget Sound. — Mark Ellwood, Condé Nast Traveler, "The Best Places to Visit in July," 29 May 2019 Perfumania Save on all kinds of fragrances, scented body washes, and lotions at this olfactory mecca. — Glamour, "The Best Memorial Day 2019 Beauty Sales to Shop This Weekend," 24 May 2019 Weary travelers see the stores as friendly and convenient, modern meccas for the nation's transient, mobile culture. — J.d. Gallop, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Nearly half a dozen people have died in Walmart parking lots in Brevard County since 2015," 24 June 2018 The pop-up makeup mecca is located in South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa, CA and the aesthetic is alien glam – like, if ET were a beauty blogger. — Kelsey Stiegman, Seventeen, "Kim Kardashian is Opening a KKW Beauty Store Today and the Photos Are UNREAL," 4 Dec. 2018 The studio has become a bit of a mecca for riders who don’t live in NYC. — Cheryl Wischhover, Vox, "Peloton’s $2,000 stationary bike has totally disrupted working out at home," 14 Nov. 2018 But for hundreds of tourists every day, the half-museum, half-arcade, half-expansive gift shop (yup, three halves) is a kind of mecca to pay homage to the company and its creations. — Kyle Orland, Ars Technica, "Gallery: Exploring Nintendo’s flagship New York City store," 2 Sep. 2018 Charlottesville has long outgrown its patrician Jeffersonian roots to become a mecca for artists and musicians, youthful retirees, and clean-cut techies. — James Loeffler, WSJ, "The Struggle for Charlottesville," 10 Aug. 2018 The railroad arrived in Broad Ripple in 1883 and the following year, Broad Ripple Park was established on the land along the river banks and quickly became a mecca for swimming, boating and fishing (but never on Sunday, mind you). — Dawn Mitchell, Indianapolis Star, "Broad Ripple Park: 'Nature’s Gift to the Amusement World'," 13 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'mecca.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.