Persepolis

American

[per-sep-uh-lis] / pərˈsɛp ə lɪs /

noun

an ancient capital of Persia: its imposing ruins are in S Iran, about 30 miles (48 km) NE of Shiraz.

Persepolis British

/ pəˈsɛpəlɪs /

noun

the capital of ancient Persia in the Persian Empire and under the Seleucids: founded by Darius; sacked by Alexander the Great in 330 _bc

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Persepolitan

adjective

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

His establishment won’t screen the matches—but Persepolis on the Upper East Side will.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 11, 2026

Persepolis, first published in 2000, follows the story of young Marjane growing up during and after the Iranian Revolution, also known as the Islamic Revolution.

From BBC • Jun. 4, 2026

He had come under criticism recently for a speech he made in April in front of the ancient ruins of Persepolis in which he called for peace and urged for the avoidance of war.

From BBC • Jun. 13, 2025

Ronaldo arrived on his first visit to Iran with the Saudi football club Al Nassr, which is set to play Iran’s Persepolis in Tehran on Sept. 19.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 18, 2023

He had been refining his sketches of Persepolis ever since we got back.

From "Darius the Great Is Not Okay" by Adib Khorram

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023