metropolis

noun

me·​trop·​o·​lis mə-ˈträ-p(ə-)ləs 

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

Synonyms

• asphalt jungle
• burg
• city
• cosmopolis
• megacity
• megalopolis
• municipality
• town

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

News that the Peach State metropolis and New Mexico’s capital could become Sundance’s new stomping ground were exclusively reported by Deadline as far back as last summer. —Dominic Patten, Deadline, 19 July 2024

Paris has ramped up cycling paths and bicycle parking spaces ahead of the Summer Olympic Games, as part of an effort to make the city a cyclist-friendly metropolis. —Ulrike Lemmin-Woolfrey, Contributor, CNBC, 19 July 2024

While places have been more likely to open in coastal cities and metropolises like Chicago, communities in Houston, Phoenix, Atlanta, and other places in the South and West have supported bars for decades. —Architectural Digest, 28 June 2024

From small, coastal towns to mid-size cities and major metropolises, these are the rising hotspots for LGBTQ+ travelers. —Dan Koday, Travel + Leisure, 24 June 2024

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

Kids Definition

metropolis

noun

me·​trop·​o·​lis mə-ˈträp-(ə-)ləs 

1

: the chief or capital city of a country, state, or region

2

: a large important city