metropolis

noun

me·​trop·​o·​lis mə-ˈträ-p(ə-)ləs How to pronounce metropolis (audio)
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

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The brand’s latest, which debuted at this year’s China International Motorcycle Trade Exhibition, sports a chunky, cyberpunk-indebted design and bold lighting package that wouldn’t look out of place zipping around a futuristic metropolis. Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 15 Oct. 2025 San Francisco is far smaller than Los Angeles, New York, London, or any of the Chinese metropolises where technological devices are manufactured. Literary Hub, 15 Oct. 2025 As underwhelming Lumiose ends up being when measured against the expectation of a bustling metropolis like that of Pokémon Black and White’s Castelia City, there is never a shortage of things to do in between main missions. Ryan Gaur, Rolling Stone, 14 Oct. 2025 Since its municipal establishment in 2018, Roku City has been a metropolis intermittently besieged by mythical creatures including a kraken, a big robot, and a Godzilla-like kaiju. Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 14 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for metropolis

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of metropolis was in the 14th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Metropolis.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/metropolis. Accessed 17 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

metropolis

noun
me·​trop·​o·​lis mə-ˈträp-(ə-)ləs How to pronounce metropolis (audio)
1
: the chief or capital city of a country, state, or region
2
: a large important city

More from Merriam-Webster on metropolis

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