metropolis
noun
me·trop·o·lis mə-ˈträ-p(ə-)ləs 
1
: the chief or capital city of a country, state, or region
2
: the city or state of origin of a colony (as of ancient Greece)
3
a
: a city regarded as a center of a specified activity
an industrial metropolis
a cattle metropolis
b
: a large important city
one of Europe's great metropolises
Synonyms
- asphalt jungle
- burg
- city
- cosmopolis
- megacity
- megalopolis
- municipality
- town
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
a big, teeming metropolis where ambitious people from all over come to make their mark
Recent Examples on the Web It’s one of the beauties of life in Los Angeles — that in the midst of a sprawling metropolis, wildlife coexists alongside humans. 
Rachel Schnalzer, Los Angeles Times, 24 Aug. 2022 That’s how many people in the Chinese metropolis of Chengdu will be impacted by a sweeping citywide lockdown today due to stringent zero-Covid measures. Alexandra Meeks, CNN, 1 Sep. 2022 In the southwestern metropolis of Chongqing, the mercury rose to 113 Fahrenheit Thursday, prompting the government to issue its highest heat warning for the eighth time this summer. BostonGlobe.com, 18 Aug. 2022 Sacks had landed in New York from D.C. the previous summer and arrived in a metropolis desperate for her services. Mattie Kahn, Town & Country, 9 Aug. 2022 The Ace Hotel group, which has opened 10 boutique hotels in the past 20 years, debuted a new outpost in the Canadian metropolis this week. Dana Givens, Robb Report, 28 July 2022 The earliest iterations of the Electronic Arts game launched in 1989 with SimCity, giving players the chance to build and sustain their own metropolis. Ineye Komonibo, refinery29.com, 23 June 2022 Throughout the album, quips from folks who inhabit their watery metropolis speak of them highly. Mankaprr Conteh, Rolling Stone, 17 Mar. 2022 Cities are officially back: Travelers are eager to dive into the sights, bites and sounds of a metropolis like Paris or New York. New York Times, 3 June 2022 See More
Rachel Schnalzer, Los Angeles Times, 24 Aug. 2022 That’s how many people in the Chinese metropolis of Chengdu will be impacted by a sweeping citywide lockdown today due to stringent zero-Covid measures. Alexandra Meeks, CNN, 1 Sep. 2022 In the southwestern metropolis of Chongqing, the mercury rose to 113 Fahrenheit Thursday, prompting the government to issue its highest heat warning for the eighth time this summer. BostonGlobe.com, 18 Aug. 2022 Sacks had landed in New York from D.C. the previous summer and arrived in a metropolis desperate for her services. Mattie Kahn, Town & Country, 9 Aug. 2022 The Ace Hotel group, which has opened 10 boutique hotels in the past 20 years, debuted a new outpost in the Canadian metropolis this week. Dana Givens, Robb Report, 28 July 2022 The earliest iterations of the Electronic Arts game launched in 1989 with SimCity, giving players the chance to build and sustain their own metropolis. Ineye Komonibo, refinery29.com, 23 June 2022 Throughout the album, quips from folks who inhabit their watery metropolis speak of them highly. Mankaprr Conteh, Rolling Stone, 17 Mar. 2022 Cities are officially back: Travelers are eager to dive into the sights, bites and sounds of a metropolis like Paris or New York. New York Times, 3 June 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Middle English, from Late Latin, from Greek mētropolis, from mētr-, mētēr mother + polis city — more at mother, police entry 1
First Known Use
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Kids Definition
metropolis
noun
me·trop·o·lis mə-ˈträ-pə-ləs
1
: the chief or capital city of a country, state, or region
2
: a large or important city
metropolis
noun
as in city
a thickly settled, highly populated area a big, teeming metropolis where ambitious people from all over come to make their mark Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- city
- town
- megalopolis
- municipality
- cosmopolis
- suburb
- burg
- megacity
- borough
- conurbation
- asphalt jungle
- downtown
- suburbia
- midtown
- urban sprawl
- exurb
- central city
- garden city
- inner city
- core city
- edge city