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

After an introduction from host Trevor Noah, the camera cut to the stage area of the Crypto.com Arena, which was suddenly transformed into the hills and canyons surrounding the California metropolis. —James Factora, Them, 3 Feb. 2025

Romero split her childhood between the sprawling metropolis of Houston and the remote Chemehuevi reservation in Mojave Desert, CA. —Chadd Scott, Forbes, 16 Jan. 2025

Indianapolis, Indiana This midwestern metropolis had its best year for tourism in the city’s history in 2024, and that momentum will continue in 2025. —Beth Luberecki, USA TODAY, 14 Jan. 2025

But for the thousands of people across Addis whose houses and businesses have been destroyed, the campaign to build a 21st-century metropolis here often feels more like a vanity project than like an effort to make life better for its inhabitants. —Samuel Getachew, The Christian Science Monitor, 6 Jan. 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

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