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

Cincinnati is known as a Montessori mecca in large part because of Xavier's undergraduate program and lab school. —Madeline Mitchell, The Enquirer, 3 July 2025

Playing it by ear: How Nashville musicians protect their hearing Across the country, Nashville is known as a mecca for country music. —Amber Roberson, Nashville Tennessean, 4 May 2025

For the past few years, Lilly has made news by driving large-scale investments in the LEAP Innovation District, billed as a future manufacturing and tech mecca in Lebanon, Indiana. —Alysa Guffey, IndyStar, 2 July 2025

As Almeyda makes her journey towards this elusive mecca, both the idea of Palmares and Almeyda’s journey toward it feel like hallucinatory visions: Vibrantly conjured, indeed mythic in intention and impact. —Irenosen Okojie july 11, Literary Hub, 11 July 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