Pompeii

American  

[pom-pey, -pey-ee] / pɒmˈpeɪ, -ˈpeɪ i /

noun

1. an ancient city in SW Italy, on the Bay of Naples: it was buried along with Herculaneum by an eruption of nearby Mount Vesuvius in a.d. 79; much of the city has been excavated.

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Pompeii British  

/ pɒmˈpeɪiː /

noun

1. an ancient city in Italy, southeast of Naples: buried by an eruption of Vesuvius (79 _ad ); excavation of the site, which is extremely well preserved, began in 1748

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Pompeii Cultural  

1. A city of the Roman Empire, on the Italian seacoast, that was known for the luxury and dissipated ways of its citizens. It was destroyed in the first century by an eruption of nearby Mount Vesuvius.

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Example Sentences

In a similar spirit of upcycling, his exhibition shows Rose Salane’s newest project from Pompeii featuring rocks and other ephemera taken from the historic site.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 27, 2026

"A lot of archaeologists get wound up by connections made with Pompeii but I think it's in part justified because of the levels of preservation here," he said.

From BBC • Jan. 11, 2026

He died at Stabiae, a few miles south of Pompeii, gazing over a sea rendered unnavigable by pumice and strong opposing winds.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 2, 2026

Mr. Tuck estimates the population of Pompeii before the eruption at 30,000.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 2, 2026

I was hoping to speak to you in Pompeii, but it is so . . . well, Roman.

From "Blood of Olympus" by Rick Riordan