metropolis

American  

[mi-trop-uh-lis] / mɪˈtrɒp ə lɪs /

noun

metropolises plural

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.

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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

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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

• metropolises
  plural

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

Explanation

A large, densely populated urban area is called a metropolis. "She liked living in a metropolis because there were many opportunities in a city that were not available elsewhere, like 24-hour diners." The noun metropolis comes from the Greek roots mētēr, meaning "mother," and pólis, meaning "city." Historically, the word referred to the founding city-state of a region in Ancient Greece. Today the word refers to any urban area. The largest metropolis in Massachusetts is Boston, which is also the capital. Sometimes people use the word metropolis ironically or sarcastically: "She came from the booming metropolis of Tumbleweed, population 325."

Example Sentences

That included his time as mayor of Davao, a southern metropolis where he cultivated the image of a tough-talking political outsider.

From BBC • May 28, 2026

San Diego is a rare example of a nearby metropolis that has been able to convince more builders to build more.

From Los Angeles Times • May 13, 2026

Years of congestion in the gridlocked metropolis have given rise to a booming sector of motorcycle taxi drivers, weaving through car traffic.

From Barron's • Apr. 21, 2026

Plans to build Neom Super City - a futuristic, carbon-free metropolis - may have been scaled down, but the vision remains the same.

From BBC • Apr. 16, 2026

The corners were choked with dust and it smelled like a whole metropolis of mice had lived and bred there, probably until the cats got wise and moved in before moving on, but no snakes.

From "The Marrow Thieves" by Cherie Dimaline

Related Words

• capital
• downtown
• municipality