| Word or phrase | Original / literal use | Metonymic use | - |
| The official residence of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom | The Prime Minister and his/her staff, often meaning more broadly the UK Government | - |
| Armonk | Armonk, New York, where the headquarters of IBM is located | IBM | - |
| Bay Street | A street in downtown Toronto | The Canadian financial sector, since the Toronto Stock Exchange, the country's main securities market, and the headquarters of the five major Canadian banks, are located there | - |
| Beijing | The capital of China | The Chinese government, particularly the leadership | - |
| The Beehive | A building that houses the executive wing of the New Zealand Parliament Buildings | The New Zealand Government | - |
| Beverly Hills | Beverly Hills, California, a rich enclave of Los Angeles | Rich and famous people | - |
| Broadway | A street in Manhattan, New York City | Broadway theatre; sometimes, although less accurately, commercial American theatre in general | - |
| Brussels | The capital of Belgium | The government of the European Union | - |
| Buckingham Palace or the Palace | A large building in London that is the official residence of the reigning British sovereign | The British royal family and its staff | - |
| The City | The City of London, the part of Central London, England, that has the longest contiguous recorded history | The financial institutions in the United kingdom | - |
| Canberra | Canberra, the capital city of Australia | The Australian federal government and its Departments and general bureaucracy, as in "Canberra said... " | - |
| Capitol Hill or the Hill | A neighborhood in Washington, D.C. | The United States Congress | - |
| Casa Rosada | The executive mansion and office of the President of Argentina | The government of Argentina | - |
| Chernobyl | A city in Ukraine, located north of Kiev | The nuclear disaster in the city on 26 April 1986 | - |
| Cooperstown | A village in upstate New York | The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, located in Cooperstown, New York | - |
| Dalal Street | The address of the Bombay Stock Exchange in Mumbai. | The financial markets in India, the third largest economy in Asia. | - |
| Detroit | The largest city in Michigan | The American automobile industry | - |
| Europe | A continent located in the Northern, Eastern and Western hemispheres | Commonly used to refer to the European Union, a political and economic union, especially in political contexts | - |
| Fifth Avenue | A street in the New York City borough of Manhattan | The upscale retailers that are generally located along it | - |
| The fifth floor | The floor of a building above the fourth floor | The Mayor of Chicago and his or her staff, since their offices are on that floor of city hall | - |
| Fleet Street | A street in the City of London | The British national press | - |
| Foggy Bottom | A neighborhood in Washington, D.C. | The United States Department of State | - |
| Fukushima | A city in Japan | The 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami and subsequent Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster | - |
| The Hague | A city in the Netherlands | The International Criminal Court or International Court of Justice, both of which have their seat in the city. | - |
| Hillsborough | Hillsborough an area of Sheffield, United Kingdom and location of Hillsborough Stadium. | The Hillsborough disaster in 1989 where 96 Liverpool F.C. fans died in a human crush. Also used as a word for police corruption and cover-up. | - |
| Hiroshima and Nagasaki | Two cities in southwestern Japan | The atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the Allied forces in August 1945 | - |
| Hollywood | A district of Los Angeles, California | The American film industry | - |
| Holyrood | An area in Edinburgh | The Scottish Parliament, which is located in that area, or more generally the Scottish Government | - |
| Hongdae | Hongik University in Seoul, South Korea | Hongdae, a cultural/tourist neighborhood of Seoul surrounding Hongik University | - |
| Houston | A city in Texas | NASA's Johnson Space Center, its Mission Control Center within, or NASA in general | - |
| Hrad | The Prague Castle and official residence and office of the President of the Czech Republic | The President of the Czech Republic and his or her staff, and also the Czech Republic as a whole | - |
| Ikulu | The official residence of the President of Tanzania | The State House and its administration | - |
| Itamaraty | Itamaraty Palace in Brasília, headquarters of the Ministry of External Relations of Brazil. | The Brazilian ministry of Foreign Affairs and its diplomats | - |
| Jonestown | A remote settlement established by the Peoples Temple cult in northwestern Guyana | The massacre which occurred on 18 November 1978 in which 918 people died. | - |
| K Street | A street in downtown Washington, D.C. | The American lobbying industry | - |
| Kastilja or Castile | Auberge de Castille, an 18th-century auberge in the Maltese capital Valletta | The Office of the Prime Minister of Malta | - |
| The Kremlin | A historic type of Russian fortress or citadel | The Moscow Kremlin and/or the Russian presidential administration; historically, any Russian or Soviet government | - |
| Langley | A small suburb of Washington, D.C., in Virginia | The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency | - |
| Lutyens Zone | The key central political and residential district of New Delhi, the capital of the world's largest democracy, India. | The epicentre of political wheeling-dealing in India, and also the most elite, and leafiest, residential zone. | - |
| M25 | A motorway circling the London conurbation | London, or the Greater London urban area, though the two boundaries do not precisely coincide. | |
| Madison Avenue | A street in Manhattan, New York City | The American advertising industry | - |
| Main Street | The principal street of a town, traditionally the site of shops, banks, and other businesses | Local businesses or the "middle class" generally | - |
| Malacañang | The official residence of the President of The Philippines. | The Philippine President and his advisers. | - |
| Nashville | The capital of the U.S. state Tennessee | The country music industry | - |
| The Old Bailey | A street in the City of London. | The Central Criminal Court of England and Wales. | - |
| Ottawa | The capital city of Canada | The Government of Canada | - |
| Pearl Harbor | The natural harbor on the coast of Oahu island, Hawaii | The attack on Pearl Harbor by the Empire of Japan on 7 December 1941 | - |
| Pyongyang | The capital and economic center of North Korea | The North Korean government leadership, often as a totalitarian regime | - |
| The Pentagon | A pentagonal building in Arlington County, Virginia | The United States Department of Defense | - |
| The Phanar | Phanar is a quarter of Istanbul, Turkey, where is located the Patriarchate of Constantinople and where used to lived many Greeks after the Ottoman conquest. | The Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. | - |
| Queen's Park | An urban park in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada | The Ontario Legislative Building and/or the provincial government of Ontario. | - |
| Quai d'Orsay | A wharf and adjoining street in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, France | The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development, which is located at 37 Quai d'Orsay | - |
| Raisina Hill | The low hill in New Delhi where the most the key government ministries, including the PM's Office, and the presidential palace Rashtrapati Bhawan stand, within the Lutyens Zone. | The epicentre of political power in India. | - |
| Sand Hill Road | A street in Menlo Park, California | The venture capital firms that fund startups in the American high-tech industry. | - |
| Savile Row | A short street in central London | The high-quality bespoke men's suits made by tailors' shops on the street | - |
| Schengen | A village in eastern Luxembourg | The Schengen treaty of freedom of movement in Europe, a borderless international border | - |
| Scotland Yard | Name given to the original public entrance to the headquarters of the London Metropolitan Police Service | London or British police, especially detectives | - |
| Selma | Selma, Alabama | The U.S. civil rights movement or backlash against the movement | - |
| Seventh Avenue | A street in the New York City borough of Manhattan | The American fashion industry | - |
| Silicon Valley | San Jose and its suburbs on the southwest side of San Francisco Bay | The American high-tech industry | - |
| Spring Street | A street in the central business district of Melbourne, Victoria | The Parliament and Government of Victoria | - |
| Stormont | An estate in County Down, east of Belfast | The Northern Ireland Assembly | - |
| Sublime Porte | A gate giving access to a block of government buildings in Istanbul, Turkey | The Imperial Government of the Ottoman Empire | - |
| Tamminiemi | A villa in Helsinki and a former official residence of the President of Finland | Historically the President of Finland, mostly associated with Urho Kekkonen | - |
| Tehran | The capital of Iran | The Government of Iran; the Iranian government or its leadership | - |
| Threadneedle Street | A street in the City of London | The Bank of England and/or its directors | - |
| Tin Pan Alley | A block along 28th Street in Manhattan | The American popular music industry in the late 19th and early 20th centuries | - |
| Timbuktu | An ancient city located in landlocked Mali in Western Africa | A far away location or of extreme isolation. | - |
| The Vatican | A small sovereign state surrounded by Rome, Italy | The Holy See, and the Roman Catholic Church in general | - |
| Wall Street | A street in Manhattan, New York City | The American financial markets or "big business" more generally | - |
| Washington | Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States | The federal government of the United States or established career politicians | - |
| Watergate | The Watergate Hotel and Office Building in Washington, D.C. | The political scandal exposed after a burglary at the Watergate Hotel, | - |
| Westminster | A part of Central London, England | The Parliament of the United Kingdom | - |
| West Wing | The western wing of the White House where the offices and meeting rooms of the President, Vice-President, Cabinet and senior officials are located. | The President of the United States or senior White House officials. | - |
| Whitehall | A street in the City of Westminster borough of London | The Civil Service of the United Kingdom, or more generally the Government of the United Kingdom; the term is often used in a similar context to "Westminster" | - |
| The White House | The official residence of the President of the United States | The Executive Office of the President of the United States | - |
| Zhongnanhai | A former imperial garden adjacent to an eponymous lake in central Beijing, now used as residences | The leadership of the Chinese government | - |
| Zion | A mountain located in Israel | The city of Jerusalem or the people associated with it | - |
