metropolis

American  

[mi-trop-uh-lis] / mɪˈtrɒp ə lɪs /

noun

• metropolises
  plural

1. any large, busy city.

2. the chief, and sometimes capital, city of a country, state, or region.

3. a central or principal place, as of some activity.

   the music metropolis of France.

4. the mother city or parent state of a colony, especially of an ancient Greek colony.

5. the chief see of an ecclesiastical province.

---

metropolis British  

/ mɪˈtrɒpəlɪs /

noun

1. the main city, esp of a country or region; capital

2. a centre of activity

3. the chief see in an ecclesiastical province

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• metropolises
  plural

---

Etymology

Origin of metropolis

1350–1400; Middle English < Late Latin mētropolis < Greek mētrópolis a mother state or city, equivalent to mētro-, combining form of mḗtēr mother ¹ + pólis -polis, polis

---

Explanation

A large, densely populated urban area is called a metropolis. "She liked living in a metropolis because there were many opportunities in a city that were not available elsewhere, like 24-hour diners." The noun metropolis comes from the Greek roots mētēr, meaning "mother," and pólis, meaning "city." Historically, the word referred to the founding city-state of a region in Ancient Greece. Today the word refers to any urban area. The largest metropolis in Massachusetts is Boston, which is also the capital. Sometimes people use the word metropolis ironically or sarcastically: "She came from the booming metropolis of Tumbleweed, population 325."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

metropolis metropolises

Ex-Steelers coach Mike Tomlin has spent 12 years building a Minecraft metropolis.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 5, 2026

Another day of danger beckons for this battered European metropolis.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026

Not here, in this metropolis teeming with major teams.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 6, 2026

Growing up in the metropolis of Abidjan in Ivory Coast, he decided early to become a professional footballer.

From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026

And Capital City stretched out in golden glory under a golden sun,—the newest and youngest creation of Homo metropolis.

From "I, Robot" by Isaac Asimov

The U.S. winners range from small cities such as Cape Coral, Fla., to major metropolises like San Francisco; many are tax havens.

From MarketWatch ● Feb. 4, 2026

The city's population density is more than 7,100 people per square kilometre of land, on par with packed metropolises like Tokyo.

From Barron's ● Nov. 27, 2025

In Los Angeles and San Francisco, two of the other metropolises that have welcomed Waymo, subscribers to the $10-a-month DashPass can earn a $10 discount off one Waymo ride every month.

From Slate ● Oct. 22, 2025

Of 20 metropolises surveyed in a separate index, New York City continued to lead the pack, with an average 6.4% on-year rise in home prices in July.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2025

No kind of crazy breakthroughs, just variations on a theme: pigs with brain maps that resemble St. Louis, my couple for Noelle joined by the sweeping bridge, a family of metropolises.

From "It’s Kind of a Funny Story" by Ned Vizzini

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---

Related Words

• capital
• downtown
• municipality

---