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

And in the city of Pompeii, preserved under ash since A.D.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 27, 2026

It had the potential to be "Port Talbot's Pompeii", he suggested, playfully referring to the ancient Roman city preserved by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD.

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

The legacy of Rome is dead and buried, just like Pompeii.

From "Blood of Olympus" by Rick Riordan