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

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

He was assigned to the 103rd Sustainment Command in Des Moines and deployed to Kuwait to support the U.S. war effort dubbed Operation Epic Fury.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 4, 2026

Declan Coady, 20 years old, of West Des Moines, Iowa, was a student at Drake University.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 4, 2026

He studied information systems, cybersecurity and computer science, according to a spokeswoman for the university in Des Moines.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 4, 2026

From there it flows into the Des Moines River, and down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico.

From "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan