Lagos

American  

[lah-gohs, ley-gos] / ˈlɑ goʊs, ˈleɪ gɒs /

noun

1. a seaport in SW Nigeria: former capital.

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Lagos British  

/ ˈleɪɡɒs /

noun

1. the former capital and chief port of Nigeria, on the Bight of Benin: first settled in the sixteenth century; a slave market until the nineteenth century; ceded to Britain (1861); university (1962). Pop: 11 135 000 (2005 est)

2. a state of SW Nigeria. Capital: Ikeja. Pop: 9 013 534 (2006). Area: 3345 sq km (1292 sq miles)

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Lagos Cultural  

1. Capital of Nigeria and largest city in the country, located in the southwest corner of Nigeria on the Gulf of Guinea, an arm of the Atlantic Ocean; Nigeria's economic center and chief port.

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Example Sentences

City Section Commissioner Vicky Lagos thought the permit was for Harding per usual: “I didn’t even know they switched it on us until I went to pay and they said we were playing Wilson.”

From Los Angeles Times • May 21, 2026

The award-winning actor was in a hospital in Lagos when he passed away on Monday night, according to local media.

From BBC • May 13, 2026

Analysts blame the rising temperatures in Lagos on climate change, its coastal location, dense population, limited greenery and heavy traffic.

From Barron's • Apr. 8, 2026

“We don’t panic. We have contingency plans,” Lagos said.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 8, 2026

Abuja had far-flung horizons, wide roads, order; to come from Lagos was to be stunned here by sequence and space.

From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie