metropolitan

Everyday

1. Metropolitan means belonging to a very big city, called a metropolis, and the towns around it. tree →
2. (church) A metropolitan is a senior bishop in charge of an area, especially in the Orthodox churches. tree →
3. Metropolitan France means the main part of France in Europe, not its overseas lands. tree →

In the lessons

In geography lessons, a metropolitan area is a big city plus its suburbs; for example, the Sydney metropolitan area. In the UK, London's police force is called the Metropolitan Police, or «the Met». In church life, Orthodox Christians have metropolitans as senior bishops. Common phrases: «metropolitan area», «the Metropolitan Police», «the Metropolitan Museum of Art», «metropolitan bishop».

Examples

• More than five million people live in the Melbourne metropolitan area. tree →
• The Metropolitan Police look after London. tree →
• We visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. tree →
• Metropolitan areas often have busy trains and buses. tree →
• The metropolitan led the Easter service in the cathedral. tree →
• Transport for London runs the Metropolitan line on the Underground. tree →
• Rural areas are quieter than metropolitan ones. tree →

Note

Say met-ro-POL-i-tan. Short forms: «the Met» (police, or the New York museum or opera). The opposite of a metropolitan area is a «rural» area.