plural poleis
ˈpä-ˌlās 
: a Greek city-state
broadly
: a state or society especially when characterized by a sense of community
: city
megalopolis
Examples of polis in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 1 June 2011
His destination is the island of Issa in Liburnia—or present-day Croatia—where the Greek polis has sent laborers to build a city at the northern edge of the empire.
—Sam Sacks, WSJ, 25 Nov. 2022
This search is necessarily a collective endeavor; that is a principal reason, Aristotle thought, that individuals congregate together in a polis in the first place.
—Win McCormack, The New Republic, 23 Nov. 2022
Few of those positive connotations survive today, and yet the resurgent nostalgia for dumb technologies is often spurred by a not entirely modern desire to distance oneself from the bustle of the polis and the frenzied commerce of the agora.
—Wired, 28 July 2022
Unlike your small polis, our larger and anonymous modern democracies use enforceable laws and contracts to be more impartial and spread benefits to more people.
—Mark Shiffman, Harper’s Magazine , 16 Mar. 2022
Upon its defeat, the once-great polis fell under the tyrannical control of Sparta.
—Frank Holmes, Forbes, 7 Mar. 2022
Shadow puppets fill in the ancient Greek backstory involving a fellow named Thaddeus, who markets water in disposable vases that the polis can’t get enough of.
—Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2021
Her political ideal is the Greek space of the polis, or city-state.
—Lauren Markham, Harper's Magazine, 16 Mar. 2021
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Noun
This has historical precedent, the Greek colonies alonge fringes of the Mediterranean were founded by men, sometimes explicitly exiled from their home polis.
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 1 June 2011
His destination is the island of Issa in Liburnia—or present-day Croatia—where the Greek polis has sent laborers to build a city at the northern edge of the empire.
—Sam Sacks, WSJ, 25 Nov. 2022
This search is necessarily a collective endeavor; that is a principal reason, Aristotle thought, that individuals congregate together in a polis in the first place.
—Win McCormack, The New Republic, 23 Nov. 2022
Few of those positive connotations survive today, and yet the resurgent nostalgia for dumb technologies is often spurred by a not entirely modern desire to distance oneself from the bustle of the polis and the frenzied commerce of the agora.
—Wired, 28 July 2022
Unlike your small polis, our larger and anonymous modern democracies use enforceable laws and contracts to be more impartial and spread benefits to more people.
—Mark Shiffman, Harper’s Magazine , 16 Mar. 2022
Upon its defeat, the once-great polis fell under the tyrannical control of Sparta.
—Frank Holmes, Forbes, 7 Mar. 2022
Shadow puppets fill in the ancient Greek backstory involving a fellow named Thaddeus, who markets water in disposable vases that the polis can’t get enough of.
—Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2021
Her political ideal is the Greek space of the polis, or city-state.
—Lauren Markham, Harper's Magazine, 16 Mar. 2021
Cite this Entry
“Polis.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/polis. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
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