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

In the gourmand's metropolis of Montreal, one of the best ways to fill the time between meals is to go shopping. —Charlie Hobbs, Condé Nast Traveler, 27 Mar. 2026

That’s good news for a metropolis where too many people insist on riding their cars. —James Rainey, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2026

Above, the hazy silhouettes of Mumbai’s suburban high rises — a view of the postcard metropolis of the movies. —Taran Khan, The Dial, 24 Mar. 2026

Let’s concede for a moment, just by dint of statistics, that this guy has to be white and live in a suburb of a secondary or tertiary metropolis. —Vinson Cunningham, New Yorker, 20 Mar. 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