Lagos

American  

[lah-gohs, ley-gos] / ˈlɑ goʊs, ˈleɪ gɒs /

noun

1. a seaport in SW Nigeria: former capital.

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Lagos British  

/ ˈleɪɡɒs /

noun

1. the former capital and chief port of Nigeria, on the Bight of Benin: first settled in the sixteenth century; a slave market until the nineteenth century; ceded to Britain (1861); university (1962). Pop: 11 135 000 (2005 est)

2. a state of SW Nigeria. Capital: Ikeja. Pop: 9 013 534 (2006). Area: 3345 sq km (1292 sq miles)

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Lagos Cultural  

1. Capital of Nigeria and largest city in the country, located in the southwest corner of Nigeria on the Gulf of Guinea, an arm of the Atlantic Ocean; Nigeria's economic center and chief port.

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Example Sentences

Opeyemi Ademola, 28, a project manager in Lagos, has a disability which is not visible.

From BBC • Apr. 16, 2026

“We don’t panic. We have contingency plans,” Lagos said.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 8, 2026

Azeez Akanni hopped on a yellow bus heading for the central business district on Lagos Island, beads of sweat rolling down his neck and arms.

From Barron's • Apr. 8, 2026

Lagos is already prepared to delay the City Section Cheer championships scheduled for April 18.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 8, 2026

But Ifemelu was full of sanguine expectations for The Small Redemptions of Lagos, with a dreamy photograph of an abandoned colonial house on its masthead.

From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie