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

But, still, the sequel is a little toothless — not just Nick’s move from con man to cop but throughout the metropolis. —Jake Coyle, Boston Herald, 26 Nov. 2025

Tokyo has lost its status as the world’s largest city, with another sprawling Asian metropolis, Indonesia's vast capital, knocking it off the top spot. —Sam Stevenson, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Nov. 2025

Soon news reports quoted real estate agents in Florida and Connecticut claiming wealthy New Yorkers were looking to flee the metropolis. —Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA Today, 22 Nov. 2025

Founded in 1879 after silver was discovered in the high desert, Tombstone grew almost overnight into a frontier metropolis. —Roger Naylor, AZCentral.com, 21 Nov. 2025

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