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 several workdays each week, Abel climbs into a car waiting outside his home in Des Moines, Iowa, and makes the two-hour commute to Omaha.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 18, 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

The strikes in Iran had already dominated conversation in Des Moines.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 5, 2026

The first time I spoke about these issues was at Merrill Middle School in Des Moines, Iowa, during the first No Name-Calling Week in 2004.

From "The Misfits" by James Howe