Mecca

[ mek-uh ]
See synonyms for Mecca on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. Also Mek·ka; Mak·kah [mak-kuh, -kah] /ˈmæk kə, -kɑ/ . a city in and the capital of Hejaz, in western Saudi Arabia: birthplace of Muhammad; spiritual center of Islam.

  2. (often lowercase) any place that many people visit or hope to visit: The president's birthplace is a mecca for his admirers.

Other words from Mecca

  • Meccan, adjective, noun

Words Nearby Mecca

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use Mecca in a sentence

  • Since the 13th century, Sunni devotes have been traveling to Chinguetti on their way to Mecca.

    The Lost Libraries of the Sahara‬ | Nina Strochlic | September 11, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
  • They boast of having descended from Abraham through Ishmael, believing that this patriarch built Mecca and died there.

    A Philosophical Dictionary, Volume 1 (of 10) | Franois-Marie Arouet (AKA Voltaire)
  • Filled with gratitude, our hermit made a vow to undertake for the seventh time the pilgrimage to Mecca.

  • After marriage the family is united, and home, though it be in the top of a tenement, is the Mecca for children and grandchildren.

    The Leaven in a Great City | Lillian William Betts
  • After us others also set free their people, and presently this part of Virginia was a sort of Mecca for escaped blacks.

    The Way of a Man | Emerson Hough
  • Vultures and kites are common enough; and Haji Laqlaq the stork comes in regularly from his pilgrimage to Mecca in the spring.

    The Cradle of Mankind | W.A. Wigram

British Dictionary definitions for Mecca

Mecca

Mekka

/ (ˈmɛkə) /


noun
  1. a city in W Saudi Arabia, joint capital (with Riyadh) of Saudi Arabia: birthplace of Mohammed; the holiest city of Islam, containing the Kaaba. Pop: 1 529 000 (2005 est): Arabic name: Makkah

  2. (sometimes not capital) a place that attracts many visitors: Athens is a Mecca for tourists

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for Mecca (1 of 2)

Mecca

The birthplace of Muhammad, and thus the holiest city for Muslims. Muslims face in the direction of Mecca when they pray, and they are expected to go on a pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in their lives. Mecca is in present-day Saudi Arabia.

Notes for Mecca

Figuratively, a “mecca” is any place that attracts a great many people, especially for a particular reason: “Vail is a mecca for skiers.”
Mecca

City in western Saudi Arabia.

Notes for Mecca

As the place where Mohammed the prophet was born in the sixth century, it is the holiest city of Islam and the destination of numerous Muslim pilgrims.

Notes for Mecca

A “mecca” is a place that attracts people: “Hollywood is a mecca for would-be actors and actresses.”

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.