me ‧ trop ‧ o ‧ lis /məˈtrɒp ə ləs, mɪˈtrɒp ə ləs $ -ˈtrɑː-/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Date: 1500-1600 ; Language: Late Latin ; Origin: Greek , from meter 'mother' + polis 'city' ]
a very large city that is the most important city in a country or area:
The city has become a huge, bustling metropolis.
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THESAURUS
■ place with houses, shops, and offices
▪ city a large area with houses, shops, offices etc that is often the centre of government for an area. A city is bigger than a town :
The nearest big city is San Francisco.
▪ town a large area with houses, shops, offices etc. A town is smaller than a city :
La Coruña is a pretty seaside town.
▪ capital ( also capital city ) the city where the government of a country or state is:
We travelled to Budapest, the capital of Hungary.
▪ metropolis a big busy city that is full of people and activity:
After 1850 Paris grew quickly into a busy metropolis.
▪ urban adjective [only before noun] relating to towns and cities:
Air pollution is particularly bad in urban areas.
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urban development