megalopolis
/ˌmeɡəˈlɒpəlɪs/ (bre, ipa) · /ˌmeɡəˈlɑːpəlɪs/ (ame, ipa) · /ˌme-gə-ˈlä-pə-ləs/ (ame, mw)
megalopolis — noun
- megalopolissingular
- megalopolisesplural
1. an extremely large, densely populated urban area that forms when several cities
an extremely large, densely populated urban area that forms when several cities and towns grow together into a single connected region — for example, the corridor of cities between Boston and Washington, D.C., which functions as one continuous built-up zone.
The northeastern megalopolis stretches from Washington to Boston and holds over fifty million people.
northeastern megalopolis stretches from ... to ...
The São Paulo megalopolis overwhelmed Javier after his quiet childhood in a small mountain town.
megalopolis contrasted with a small town upbringing
Unchecked growth could turn the Pearl River Delta into one crowded megalopolis, planners warn.
Fatima crossed the entire megalopolis by train, passing through seven different city centers.
The Tokyo-Yokohama megalopolis saw cleaner air after the regions shared a subway system.
- conurbation
a technical geography term for a group of towns that have grown into each other; more formal and less common than 'megalopolis'
- metropolitan area
a city and its surrounding suburbs, usually centred on one main city, whereas a megalopolis joins several originally separate cities
- megacity
a single very large city with over 10 million residents, not a chain of merged cities