What does "moscow" mean?
A federal city, the capital and largest city of Russia.
Moscow
/ˈmɒskəʊ/ name, slang
name, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A federal city, the capital and largest city of Russia.
- Grammar: moscow is listed as name, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: capital city, center of power, metropolis, muscovian.
- Useful contrasts: contemporary, countryside, foreign.
- Usage evidence: It's best to wear a cap on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
How to use "moscow"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "moscow" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "moscow" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "moscow" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "moscow" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "moscow" is acting as name, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "capital city" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "moscow", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Proper Noun
- 1 A federal city, the capital and largest city of Russia.
"The mother, Ekaterina Pavlovna, who at one time had been handsome, but now, asthmatic, depressed, vague, and over-feeble for her years, tried to entertain me with conversation about painting. Having heard from her daughter that I might come to Shelkovka, she had hurriedly recalled two or three of my landscapes which she had seen in exhibitions in Moscow, and now asked what I meant to express by them."
- 2 Acronym of must have, should have, could have, won't have (“a group of categories for prioritization of requirements”). abbreviation, acronym, alt-of
- 3 An oblast of Russia surrounding the city, which itself is not part of the oblast; in full, Moscow Oblast.
- 4 The government of Russia or the Soviet Union. metonymically
"Moscow doubtless wants to make trouble for the Western Powers so far as she can without losing their recognition or encouraging actual hostility. She wants peace and trade and an opportunity for internal economic reconstruction above everything just now. It seems doubtful whether she expects to Bolshevize China, though she wants China fully independent of Western imperialism and friendly to her."
- 5 A large number of places in the United States:; A city, the county seat of Latah County, Idaho; probably named after the Russian city.
Show 23 more definitions
- 6 A large number of places in the United States:; A borough of Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania.
- 7 A large number of places in the United States:; A small town in Iowa County, Wisconsin; named after the Mascouten tribe.
- 8 A large number of places in the United States:; A small city in Fayette County, Tennessee; named after Mosgo, a Cherokee chief.
- 9 A large number of places in the United States:; A small town in Somerset County, Maine.
- 10 A large number of places in the United States:; A tiny city in Stevens County, Kansas; said to be named after Luis de Moscoso Alvarado, a Spanish explorer.
- 11 A large number of places in the United States:; A village in Clermont County, Ohio; said to be named by French veterans of Napoleon's siege of Moscow.
- 12 A large number of places in the United States:; A census-designated place in Allegany County, Maryland.
- 13 A large number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Lamar County, Alabama.
- 14 A large number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Marengo County, Alabama.
- 15 A large number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Jefferson County, Arkansas.
- 16 A large number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Rush County, Indiana.
- 17 A large number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Muscatine County, Iowa.
- 18 A large number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Hickman County, Kentucky.
- 19 A large number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Hillsdale County, Michigan.
- 20 A large number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Freeborn County, Minnesota.
- 21 A large number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Kemper County, Mississippi.
- 22 A large number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Polk County, Texas.
- 23 A large number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in the town of Stowe, Lamoille County, Vermont.
- 24 A large number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Hancock County, West Virginia.
- 25 A large number of places in the United States:; A ghost town in Licking County, Ohio.
- 26 A hamlet in East Ayrshire council area, Scotland; probably named or re-named in 1812 for Napoleon's retreat from Moscow (OS grid ref NS4840).
- 27 A village in Kottayam district, Kerala, India; named due to Soviet influence in Kerala during the Cold War.
- 28 A nickname for the Brandon Estate, a social housing estate in Southwark, Central London; named because of gun violence and the use of Russian-made contraband firearms. Multicultural-London-English, slang
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"It's best to wear a cap on your head during the cold Moscow winters."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "moscow"?
Common synonyms include: capital city, center of power, metropolis, muscovian, rome, seat of government.
How do you use "moscow" in a sentence?
It's best to wear a cap on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
How do you pronounce "moscow"?
Pronounced /ˈmɒskəʊ/.
Etymology
Ultimately from Old East Slavic Москов- (Moskov-), originally referring to the Moskva River, probably from Proto-Slavic *mosky (“swamp, dampness, moisture”). Perhaps related to Czech moskva (“raw bread”), Slovak mozga (“puddle”), Polish Mozgawa, and more distantly Latvian mazgāt (“to wash, rinse”), Sanskrit मज्जति (májjati, “to sink”), Latin mergō (“to dive”), all from Proto-Indo-European *mesg- (“to plunge, dip”). Cognate with Russian промозглый (promozglyj, “dank”). Doublet of Moskva.