metropolis

American  

[mi-trop-uh-lis] / mɪˈtrɒp ə lɪs /

noun

plural

metropolises

1. any large, busy city.

2. the chief, and sometimes capital, city of a country, state, or region.

3. a central or principal place, as of some activity.

   the music metropolis of France.

4. the mother city or parent state of a colony, especially of an ancient Greek colony.

5. the chief see of an ecclesiastical province.

---

metropolis British  

/ mɪˈtrɒpəlɪs /

noun

1. the main city, esp of a country or region; capital

2. a centre of activity

3. the chief see in an ecclesiastical province

---

Etymology

Origin of metropolis

1350–1400; Middle English < Late Latin mētropolis < Greek mētrópolis a mother state or city, equivalent to mētro-, combining form of mḗtēr mother ¹ + pólis -polis, polis

Example Sentences

Reform could struggle to win over voters in the diverse, busy UK metropolis, despite growing popularity across other parts of the country.

From Barron's

Those local leaders said the relatively minor protests, which affected only a few blocks in America's second largest metropolis, could easily be handled by city, county and state law enforcement.

From Barron's

Nevertheless, the protests remain limited in number and concentrated in central Tehran, with shops elsewhere in the sprawling metropolis of 10 million people unaffected.

From Barron's

Davao is a sprawling metropolis on the east of the Philippines' main southern island, Mindanao.

From BBC

Behind us, the vast metropolis of Beijing has yet to wake.

From BBC

Related Words

• capital
• downtown
• municipality