name
Common
Nashville
NASH-vihl
Nashville (name) means the capital city of Tennessee, USA, and a major center of the American country-music industry. Example: “She moved to Nashville to try to break into the country music scene.”
name
1
The capital city of Tennessee, USA, and a major center of the American country-music industry.
"She moved to Nashville to try to break into the country music scene."
"Nashville's downtown is lined with honky-tonks and live-music bars."
noun
1
By extension, the country-music industry or scene itself.
"The album was clearly aimed at Nashville rather than the pop charts."
How to use Nashville
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishTennessee's capital city, closely associated with country music.
Vocabulary Flow
Build your vocabulary from words like Nashville.
Vocabulary Flow serves the next word, and the next — meaning, pronunciation and an example each time. Practice at your level, or learn English in your own language.
Start vocabulary practice
Word forms
- Plural
- Nashvilles
Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
She moved to _____ to try to break into the country music scene.
Etymology
Named after Francis Nash, an American Revolutionary War general, with the place-forming suffix "-ville" added.
Synonyms
View more →
music city
Rhymes for Nashville
See all rhymes for Nashville →Frequently asked questions
What does “Nashville” mean?
The word “Nashville” means the capital city of Tennessee, USA, and a major center of the American country-music industry. In plain terms, tennessee's capital city, closely associated with country music.
How do you pronounce “Nashville”?
“Nashville” is pronounced NASH-vihl (/ˈnæʃˌvɪl/ in IPA).
How do you use “Nashville” in a sentence?
Here is “Nashville” used in a sentence: “She moved to Nashville to try to break into the country music scene.”
What part of speech is “Nashville”?
Depending on how it is used, “Nashville” can be a name and a noun.
Is “Nashville” a common word?
“Nashville” is a fairly common word in modern English.
How many meanings does “Nashville” have?
“Nashville” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: the capital city of Tennessee, USA, and a major center of the American country-music industry.
Is Nashville the capital of Tennessee?
Yes. Nashville is the capital city of Tennessee in the United States, and it is also known worldwide as a major center of the American country-music industry.
Why is Nashville called Music City?
Nashville earned the nickname "Music City" because it is a major center of the American country-music industry, with a dense concentration of labels, studios, and performers. The association is so strong that "Nashville" itself is used as shorthand for the industry.
Can "Nashville" refer to the country-music industry itself?
Yes. By extension, Nashville is used to mean the country-music industry or scene as a whole, much as "Hollywood" stands for the American film industry. A sentence like "Nashville has embraced the new sound" refers to the industry, not the city government.
Featured in
Vocabulary lists that include Nashville:
