Des Moines

American  

[duh moin] / də ˈmɔɪn /

noun

1. a city in and the capital of Iowa, in the central part, on the Des Moines River.

2. a river flowing SE from SW Minnesota through Iowa to the Mississippi River. About 530 miles (850 km) long.

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Des Moines British  

/ ˈmɔɪnz, də ˈmɔɪn /

noun

1. a city in S central Iowa: state capital. Pop: 196 093 (2003 est)

2. a river in the N central US, rising in SW Minnesota and flowing southeast to join the Mississippi. Length: 861 km (535 miles)

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Des Moines Cultural  

1. Capital of Iowa and largest city in the state.

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Other Word Forms

• Des Moinesian
  noun

Example Sentences

“There is still a digital divide,” Stier said of his community, roughly 40 miles north of Des Moines.

From Salon • Apr. 26, 2026

On the cusp of summer, Des Moines taxi drivers were ordered to keep the air conditioning off.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 18, 2026

The expedited delivery options have been available in parts of large metropolitan areas including Los Angeles, Chicago and Washington, D.C., as well as smaller cities such as Des Moines, Iowa and Boise, Idaho, Amazon said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 17, 2026

Marzan was assigned to the 103rd Sustainment Command in Des Moines — a unit tasked with supplying troops with food, fuel, ammunition and equipment — and deployed to Kuwait to support the war effort.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 9, 2026

In Des Moines, a dressing tent, a hippopotamus and matching wagon, and the Lovely Lucinda.

From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen