metropolis

noun

mə-ˈträ-p(ə-)ləs How to pronounce metropolis (audio)
Definition of metropolisnext
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

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of metropolis After all, the university’s magnetic pull depends on its being embedded in a global metropolis with its profusion of experts, employers, and opportunities. — Justin Davidson, Curbed, 19 Aug. 2026 The view changes as the ship’s pilots deftly navigate worlds — or at least try to — like the metropolis of Coruscant and the deserts of Tatooine. — Samantha Masunaga, Los Angeles Times, 17 Aug. 2026 With unprecedented bipartisan support, Gloria was uniquely positioned to build a citywide coalition and provide San Diego with the visionary — and charismatic — leadership needed to govern a 21st-century global metropolis. — Carl Luna, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Aug. 2026 But despite brownstones, diners, skyscrapers and bridges, this city is no recognizable metropolis — plus, it’s all bathed in a luminous purple glow. — Pat Saperstein, Variety, 3 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for metropolis
Recent Examples of Synonyms for metropolis
  1. city
  2. town
Noun
  • The story follows Ana, a young Black French woman who, following the death of her grandmother, travels to her matriarch’s birth city of Belo Horizonte.
    — Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 27 Aug. 2026
  • The fair will bring together galleries from 63 cities in 36 countries, including 36 galleries (around 43 percent) with locations in the SWANA region.
    — Maximilíano Durón, ARTnews.com, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of city
Noun
  • At least 165 people have been killed, and hundreds more are missing after catastrophic floods swept through towns and valleys along the border between Nepal and China's Tibet region.
    — Jennifer Jett, NBC news, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Last awards season, the gossip around town, salacious and disturbing in equal measure, was that hotel suites all over Hollywood were populated by tailors taking in gowns coming straight off the runway.
    — Marti Noxon, HollywoodReporter, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of town

Browse Nearby Words

metronomic
metropolis
metropolises
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Cite this Entry

“Metropolis.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/metropolis. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on metropolis

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about metropolis

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