met·ro·pol·i·tan
ˌme-trə-ˈpä-lə-tən 
1
: the primate of an ecclesiastical province
2
: one who lives in a metropolis or displays metropolitan manners or customs
1
: of or constituting a metropolitan or his see
2
: of, relating to, or characteristic of a metropolis and sometimes including its suburbs
3
: of, relating to, or constituting a mother country as distinguished from a colony
Synonyms
Examples of metropolitan in a Sentence
Noun
a TV series about the lives and loves of a group of young, attractive metropolitans
Adjective
the greater New York metropolitan area
This is one of the best seafood restaurants in metropolitan Los Angeles.
Recent Examples on the Web
Hannah Towey, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 Jan. 2024
In September, median asking rents in the 50 largest metropolitans dropped to $1,747, according to Realtor.com’s latest rental report released on Monday.
—Byalena Botros, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2023
RentCafe’s report was based on Integrated Public Use Microdata Series, or IPUMS, data from the University of Minnesota looking at the nation’s 110 largest metropolitans.
—Bailey Schulz, USA TODAY, 7 Apr. 2023
The city was the last metropolitan in Alabama to rid itself of the commission form of government.
—John Sharp, al, 18 Jan. 2022
Thailand declared semi-lockdowns in the Bangkok metropolitan and 6 other province on July 12.
—Fernando Alfonso Iii, CNN, 17 July 2021
But truly rural areas are a relatively small slice of the electorate: In 2016, only 14 percent of all voters cast ballots in counties defined by the Census Bureau as non-metropolitan.
—David Wasserman, NBC News, 28 Oct. 2019
Brexit devolved into an identity war: an English counter-revolution between nationalists and internationalists, country geezers versus young metropolitans, Little England versus Great Britain.
—Tina Brown, Time, 6 June 2019
The new list ranks the country's 125 largest metropolitan areas based on affordability, job prospects and quality of life.
—Enquirer Staff, Cincinnati.com, 13 Apr. 2018
Alena Botros, Fortune, 18 Apr. 2024
Thanks to its variety of posh digs, Oak Hill, an affluent part of Music City’s metropolitan area, is home to stars like Reese Witherspoon.
—Demetrius Simms, Robb Report, 16 Apr. 2024
As of Thursday morning, Napa had the highest average cost for regular gas among California metropolitan areas: $5.72 per gallon, according to AAA.
—Hanh Truong, Sacramento Bee, 11 Apr. 2024
The watch area includes both states' capital cities, Baton Rouge and Jacksonville, and other major metropolitan centers like New Orleans.
—Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 10 Apr. 2024
Whitewater, Wisconsin, is about a 45-mile drive southeast from Madison, and Greenfield is in the Milwaukee metropolitan area.
—Mike Stunson, Kansas City Star, 8 Apr. 2024
The path of the eclipse crosses four metropolitan cities from North Texas to the Hill Country — San Antonio, Austin, Dallas and Fort Worth are among the top places to witness the total solar eclipse.
—David Montesino, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 Apr. 2024
More than 53,000 people have fled the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area between March 8 and March 27, according to a report from the U.N.’s International Organization for Migration (IOM).
—Ashley Carnahan, Fox News, 6 Apr. 2024
Residents across the Northeast were rattled by a 4.8 magnitude earthquake that shook the densely populated New York City metropolitan area and much of the surrounding region on Friday morning.
—Lucia Suarez Sang, CBS News, 5 Apr. 2024
Noun
Unfortunately, in the many car-centric metropolitans of the US, a leisurely stroll from your hotel lobby might just lead you to a parking lot instead.
—Hannah Towey, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 Jan. 2024
In September, median asking rents in the 50 largest metropolitans dropped to $1,747, according to Realtor.com’s latest rental report released on Monday.
—Byalena Botros, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2023
RentCafe’s report was based on Integrated Public Use Microdata Series, or IPUMS, data from the University of Minnesota looking at the nation’s 110 largest metropolitans.
—Bailey Schulz, USA TODAY, 7 Apr. 2023
The city was the last metropolitan in Alabama to rid itself of the commission form of government.
—John Sharp, al, 18 Jan. 2022
Thailand declared semi-lockdowns in the Bangkok metropolitan and 6 other province on July 12.
—Fernando Alfonso Iii, CNN, 17 July 2021
But truly rural areas are a relatively small slice of the electorate: In 2016, only 14 percent of all voters cast ballots in counties defined by the Census Bureau as non-metropolitan.
—David Wasserman, NBC News, 28 Oct. 2019
Brexit devolved into an identity war: an English counter-revolution between nationalists and internationalists, country geezers versus young metropolitans, Little England versus Great Britain.
—Tina Brown, Time, 6 June 2019
The new list ranks the country's 125 largest metropolitan areas based on affordability, job prospects and quality of life.
—Enquirer Staff, Cincinnati.com, 13 Apr. 2018
Adjective
The median home sale price only declined in one of 50 of the most populous metropolitan areas, according to Redfin.
—Alena Botros, Fortune, 18 Apr. 2024
Thanks to its variety of posh digs, Oak Hill, an affluent part of Music City’s metropolitan area, is home to stars like Reese Witherspoon.
—Demetrius Simms, Robb Report, 16 Apr. 2024
As of Thursday morning, Napa had the highest average cost for regular gas among California metropolitan areas: $5.72 per gallon, according to AAA.
—Hanh Truong, Sacramento Bee, 11 Apr. 2024
The watch area includes both states' capital cities, Baton Rouge and Jacksonville, and other major metropolitan centers like New Orleans.
—Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 10 Apr. 2024
Whitewater, Wisconsin, is about a 45-mile drive southeast from Madison, and Greenfield is in the Milwaukee metropolitan area.
—Mike Stunson, Kansas City Star, 8 Apr. 2024
The path of the eclipse crosses four metropolitan cities from North Texas to the Hill Country — San Antonio, Austin, Dallas and Fort Worth are among the top places to witness the total solar eclipse.
—David Montesino, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 Apr. 2024
More than 53,000 people have fled the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area between March 8 and March 27, according to a report from the U.N.’s International Organization for Migration (IOM).
—Ashley Carnahan, Fox News, 6 Apr. 2024
Residents across the Northeast were rattled by a 4.8 magnitude earthquake that shook the densely populated New York City metropolitan area and much of the surrounding region on Friday morning.
—Lucia Suarez Sang, CBS News, 5 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'metropolitan.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near metropolitan
Cite this Entry
“Metropolitan.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/metropolitan. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
metropolitan
1 of 2 noun
met·ro·pol·i·tan
ˌme-trə-ˈpäl-ət-ᵊn
1
: the head of a church province
2
: one who lives in a metropolis or who has metropolitan manners or customs
metropolitan
2 of 2 adjective1
: of, relating to, or characteristic of a metropolis
2
: of or relating to a city and the densely populated surrounding areas
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