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

To the people of this region, the promise of a Major League Baseball team is instead an opportunity to nudge the region forward in its ambitions of being taken seriously, both economically and culturally, as a California metropolis. —Shomik Mukherjee, The Mercury News, 14 Apr. 2024

The project follows the rebuilding of a metropolis after its accidental destruction, with two competing visions — one from an idealist architect (Adam Driver), the other from its pragmatist mayor (Giancarlo Esposito) — clashing during the process. —Mia Galuppo, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Apr. 2024

The isle is famous for its wealth of Baltic history: Its metropolis, Visby, was the Hanseatic League’s trading center between the 12th and 14th centuries. —Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 Apr. 2024

California’s second-largest city — and the eighth-largest in the country — San Diego is a sprawling metropolis with lodging options for every traveler. —Alesandra Dubin, Travel + Leisure, 19 Mar. 2024

Tranquil, stately, and subtle, is the largest metropolis in Ticino, Switzerland's only Italian-speaking canton. —Everett Potter, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024

What is considered the metro Phoenix area? Metro Phoenix, also known as the Phoenix metropolitan area, the Valley of the Sun or simply the Valley, is a metropolis in central Arizona. —The Arizona Republic, 7 Feb. 2024

In a country already undergoing robust population growth and economic advancement, Phoenix emerged as one of the swiftest-growing metropolises. —Arizona Republic, The Arizona Republic, 1 Apr. 2024

In a surprising twist, Tokyo, Japan—a bustling metropolis where tradition meets modernity—secures the fourth spot on the list. —Laura Begley Bloom, Forbes, 30 Mar. 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