Indianapolis

American

[in-dee-uh-nap-uh-lis] / ˌɪn di əˈnæp ə lɪs /

noun

a city in and the capital of Indiana, in the central part.

Indianapolis British

/ ˌɪndɪəˈnæpəlɪs /

noun

a city in central Indiana: the state capital. Pop: 783 438 (2003 est)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Indianapolis Cultural

Capital of Indiana and largest city in the state.

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Known for a five-hundred-mile automobile race (the Indianapolis [Indy] 500) held each year in late May.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Paul was raised in Indianapolis, served in the Vietnam War in his 20s and moved to Los Angeles and then New York by his late 20s to try to make it as an actor.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 23, 2026

And a good deal of the narrative is about the efforts to establish the newly resuscitated Indianapolis Clowns franchise in the Banana Ball Championship League.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 18, 2026

Here’s an example from Rob Moore, a registered Social Security analyst and the owner of Get Moore Consulting in Indianapolis:

From MarketWatch • Jun. 15, 2026

She added: "Especially since Jonathan was in Indy for practices," referring to her husband Jonathan Owens, who is in pre-season training with NFL side Indianapolis Colts.

From BBC • Jun. 7, 2026

The only other city I’d ever seen was Indianapolis, Indiana.

From "Slaughterhouse-Five" by Kurt Vonnegut

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023