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 of metropolis

• city
• 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

And so, Below the Clouds begins with Pliny the Younger’s contemporaneous description of the destruction of Pompeii and Herculaneum, but intercuts the images of ruin with glimpses of the modern metropolis. —Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 6 Mar. 2026

The metropolis is located in South Australia, near Kangaroo Island. —Madeline Coleman, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2026

Crockett argued that Democrats need to focus on energizing their base, betting that motivated voters in metropolises like Houston and Dallas could swamp Republicans. —ABC News, 3 Mar. 2026

Even if that were true though, these localities — like those in other high-demand metropolises — could still build more housing vertically with tall apartment buildings. —Greg Rosalsky, NPR, 24 Feb. 2026

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

Rhymes for metropolis

• acropolis
• monopolise
• necropolis
• megalopolis
• propolis

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