metro

¹ American  

[me-troh] / ˈmɛ troʊ /

noun

(often initial capital letter)

plural

metros

1. the underground electric railway of Paris, France, Montreal, Canada, Washington, D.C., and other cities.

2. subway.

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metro- ² American  

1. a combining form meaning “measure,” used in the formation of compound words.

   metronome.

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metro ³ American  

[me-troh] / ˈmɛ troʊ /

adjective

1. metropolitan.

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noun

plural

metros

1. metropolis.

2. (often initial capital letter) the government or jurisdiction of a large city.

metro- ⁴ American  

1. a combining form meaning “uterus,” used in the formation of compound words.

   metrorrhagia.

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metro- ⁵ American  

1. a combining form representing metropolis or metropolitan in compound words.

   metroflight; metroland; Metroliner.

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metro- ¹ British  

combining form

1. indicating the uterus

   metrorrhagia

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metro- ² British  

combining form

1. indicating a measure

   metronome

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metro ³ British  

/ ˈmɛtrəʊ, metro /

noun

1. an underground, or largely underground, railway system in certain cities, esp in Europe, such as that in Paris

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Etymology

Origin of metro¹

1900–05; < French métro, short for chemin de fer métropolitain metropolitan railroad

Origin of metro-²

Combining form representing Greek métron measure

Origin of metro³

First recorded in 1900–05; by shortening; or independent use of metro- ³

Origin of metro-⁴

Combining form representing Greek mḗtra womb

Example Sentences

Texas, Florida and North Carolina were the top three growth states for U-Haul customers, with Dallas, Houston and Austin bagging the top spots for growth in metro regions.

From Los Angeles Times

In nine metro areas, it was even worse: More than 25% of the condos were estimated to be worth less than their most recent sale price.

From The Wall Street Journal

“The markets that were once ‘pandemic darlings’ are now seeing the sharpest corrections while more traditional metros continue to post modest gains,” Godec said.

From Barron's

“The markets that were once ‘pandemic darlings’ are now seeing the sharpest corrections while more traditional metros continue to post modest gains,” Godec said.

From Barron's

In the first eight months of 2025, the Los Angeles metropolitan area authorized slightly fewer new housing units than the Austin, Texas, metro, despite having five times the population, according to census data.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• rail line
• railway
• subway