Athens

American  

[ath-inz] / ˈæθ ɪnz /

noun

1. Greek Athenai. a city in and the capital of Greece, in the southeastern part.

2. Greater Athens, a metropolitan area comprising the city of Athens, Piraeus, and several residential suburbs.

3. a city in northern Georgia.

4. a city in southern Ohio.

5. a town in northern Alabama.

6. a town in southern Tennessee.

7. a town in eastern Texas.

8. any city that is compared to Athens, especially as a cultural center.

   the Athens of the Midwest.

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Athens British  

/ ˈæθɪnz /

noun

1. Greek name: Athinai, Athina. the capital of Greece, in the southeast near the Saronic Gulf: became capital after independence in 1834; ancient city-state, most powerful in the 5th century _bc ; contains the hill citadel of the Acropolis. Pop: 3 238 000 (2005 est)

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Athens ¹ Cultural  

1. Capital of Greece in east-central Greece on the plain of Attica, overlooking an arm of the Mediterranean Sea. Named after its patron goddess, Athena, Athens is Greece's largest city and its cultural, administrative, and economic center.

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Athens ² Cultural  

1. A leading city of ancient Greece, famous for its learning, culture, and democratic institutions. The political power of Athens was sometimes quite limited, however, especially after its defeat by Sparta in the Peloponnesian War. Pericles was a noted ruler of Athens. (See also under “World Geography.”)

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Discover More

As the cultural center of Greece, ancient Athens was home to influential writers and thinkers such as Aristophanes, Euripides, Socrates, and Plato.

Its principal landmark is the Acropolis, on which stands the remains of the Parthenon and other buildings.

In the fifth century b.c., Athens was one of the world's most powerful and highly civilized cities (see also under “World History to 1550”).

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Athens

Fifteen years later, the Athenians sent their navy to the neutral island of Melos, demanding that the Melians abandon their neutral stance, join the Athenian-dominated Delian League, and pay tribute to Athens.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026

He had bought a plane ticket, according to prosecutors, and a federal official had arranged to meet with him at the Athens airport to smooth his departure.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

The city estimated that Athens obtained coverage for a limit of $170 million, Beijing $300 million, London $400 million and Rio de Janeiro $1 billion.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

The tourists were confirmed to be missing when they did not arrive for their flight at Athens airport, Reuters news agency reported citing local police.

From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026

By this time, several archaeologists had joined the expedition and immediately ordered that the powerful naval vessel Mykali be brought back from Athens to aid in the removal of the boulders.

From "Shipwrecked!" by Martin W. Sandler