Pompeii

American  

[pom-pey, -pey-ee] / pɒmˈpeɪ, -ˈpeɪ i /

noun

1. an ancient city in SW Italy, on the Bay of Naples: it was buried along with Herculaneum by an eruption of nearby Mount Vesuvius in a.d. 79; much of the city has been excavated.

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Pompeii British  

/ pɒmˈpeɪiː /

noun

1. an ancient city in Italy, southeast of Naples: buried by an eruption of Vesuvius (79 _ad ); excavation of the site, which is extremely well preserved, began in 1748

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Pompeii Cultural  

1. A city of the Roman Empire, on the Italian seacoast, that was known for the luxury and dissipated ways of its citizens. It was destroyed in the first century by an eruption of nearby Mount Vesuvius.

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Example Sentences

The choir won the public vote in Saturday's semi-final, singing Pompeii by Bastille, and will perform in the final alongside golden buzzer winner Celestial and teenager Rafferty Coope, from Hampshire.

From BBC • May 24, 2026

To mark his first anniversary in office on Friday, he will begin an extensive tour of Italy over the coming months with a visit to Pompeii and Naples.

From Barron's • May 6, 2026

Nearly 2,000-year-old Pompeii victim comes alive, thanks to AI.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 28, 2026

More than two millennia ago, not far from Pompeii, Roman builders hit upon a formula for concrete that allowed them to build bigger, stronger and more durable structures than ever.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 2026

As the chief resident joked later, it was as if Theresa were Vesuvius, and the rest of the staff, Pompeii.

From "Typical American" by Gish Jen