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• metro
  metro

  noun

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

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

metro

¹ American  

[me-troh] / ˈmɛ troʊ /

noun

(often initial capital letter)

• metros
  plural

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  

[me-troh] / ˈmɛ troʊ /

adjective

1. metropolitan.

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noun

• metros
  plural

1. metropolis.

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

metro- ³ American  

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

   metronome.

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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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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• metros
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of metro¹

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

Origin of metro²

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

Origin of metro-³

Combining form representing Greek métron measure

Origin of metro-⁴

Combining form representing Greek mḗtra womb

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

metro metros

“I’m a suburban dude,” he said, smiling from his home in metro Atlanta, his cropped two-toned dreads bobbing as he spoke.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 21, 2026

Thousands of demonstrators converged for a march through Paris, cutting main roads and prompting authorities to close many metro stations in the centre.

From Barron's ● Oct. 17, 2026

Las Vegas has taken an aggressive approach and reduced the metro region’s water use by 40% since 2002, even as its population doubled, according to a spokesman for the Southern Nevada Water Authority.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

Several metro stations were closed, train services were disrupted and thousands of police and paramilitary personnel were deployed.

From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026

Mrs. Laurencin had made a call to the local newspaper, and Mrs. Olinski and The Souls were featured above the fold on the first page of the metro section of the Epiphany Times.

From "The View From Saturday" by E.L. Konigsburg

The data release also covers the London Underground, trams, metros and other light rail services.

From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026

Louisville/Jefferson County had the highest share of “stale” listings among the 50 most populous metros in America.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 14, 2026

Midwest and Northeast markets are still leading moderate growth, while many Sun Belt and Western metros see ongoing declines.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026

Orlando was followed by three other Florida metros: North Port, Miami and Cape Coral.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026

Regionally, providers in rural areas that heavily rely on Medicaid payments, as well as safety-net hospitals found in major metros, could also face big funding shortfalls and job cuts.

From Barron's ● Jun. 20, 2026

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Related Words

• rail line
• railway
• subway

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