mecca

noun

mec·​ca ˈme-kə How to pronounce mecca (audio)
often capitalized
: a place regarded as a center for a specified group, activity, or interest
a mecca for shoppers

Examples of mecca in a Sentence

The valley is a mecca for wine lovers. The town has become a mecca for tourists.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Since its founding in 1869, the university has turned Carbondale into a tiny cultural mecca and a powerful economic engine in an otherwise vast, rural region that has been battered by the decline of manufacturing and coal mining. Molly Parker, ProPublica, 27 Mar. 2025 Critics of the loophole point to Walt Disney as among the first to take advantage of it decades ago when developing its tourist mecca of resorts and theme parks near Orlando. Josh Salman, Miami Herald, 4 Mar. 2025 Here’s Why The GOP Is Divided Taking the baton from her father, who at 95, still comes in just about everyday, Annie and the next generation of Zabar’s are keeping the beloved mecca moving into the 21st century. Kristin L. Wolfe, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2025 The Carolinas’ food mecca of Charleston. California, then back. Management, failures and burnout. Jenny Hartley, Charlotte Observer, 11 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for mecca

Word History

Etymology

Mecca, Saudi Arabia, a destination of pilgrims in the Islamic world

First Known Use

1843, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of mecca was in 1843

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Mecca.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mecca. Accessed 31 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

mecca

noun
mec·​ca ˈmek-ə How to pronounce mecca (audio)
often capitalized
: a place regarded as a center for a specified group, activity, or interest
a mecca for tourists
Etymology

named for Mecca, city in Arabia, the birthplace of Muhammad and the goal of Muslim pilgrimages

Geographical Definition

Mecca

geographical name

Mec·​ca ˈme-kə How to pronounce Mecca (audio)
variants or Arabic Makkah
holy city in western Saudi Arabia population 1,294,106

Note: Mecca is the chief pilgrimage destination for Muslims and the capital of Hejaz.

Meccan adjective or noun

More from Merriam-Webster on mecca

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