noun, plural me·trop·o·lis·es.
- any large, busy city.
- the chief, and sometimes capital, city of a country, state, or region.
- a central or principal place, as of some activity: the music metropolis of France.
- the mother city or parent state of a colony, especially of an ancient Greek colony.
- the chief see of an ecclesiastical province.
noun plural -lises
- the main city, esp of a country or region; capital
- a centre of activity
- the chief see in an ecclesiastical province
n.“seat of a metropolitan bishop,” 1530s, from Late Latin metropolis; see metropolitan. Meaning “chief town or capital city of a province” is first attested 1580s, earlier metropol (late 14c.).