Bristol

American  

[bris-tl] / ˈbrɪs tl /

noun

1. a seaport in Avon, in southwestern England, on the Avon River near its confluence with the Severn estuary.

2. a city in central Connecticut.

3. a township in southeastern Pennsylvania, on the Delaware River.

4. a deepwater seaport in eastern Rhode Island.

5. a city in northeastern Tennessee, contiguous to but politically independent of Bristol, Virginia.

6. a city in southwestern Virginia, contiguous to but politically independent of Bristol, Tennessee.

7. a bi-state region comprising the twin cities of Bristol, Tennessee, and Bristol, Virginia.

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Bristol British  

/ ˈbrɪstəl /

noun

1. a port and industrial city in SW England, mainly in Bristol unitary authority, on the River Avon seven miles from its mouth on the Bristol Channel: a major port, trading with America, in the 17th and 18th centuries; the modern port consists chiefly of docks at Avonmouth and Portishead; noted for the Clifton Suspension Bridge (designed by I. K. Brunel, 1834) over the Avon gorge; Bristol university (1909) and University of the West of England (1992). Pop: 420 556 (2001)

2. a unitary authority in SW England, created in 1996 from part of Avon county. Pop: 391 500 (2003 est). Area: 110 sq km (42 sq miles)

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Example Sentences

The 26-year-old from Bristol works in a care home and a chunk of her income goes on driving lessons, with her instructor charging students £80 for a two-hour lesson.

From BBC • Apr. 4, 2026

Helen and Lee decided to take Meg back to Wales but on the way, her symptoms became more serious and she was admitted to Southmead Hospital, in Bristol, where she died.

From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026

Dott costs about £35 per month and gives users two free 30 minute e-bike rides per day in cities including Bath, Bristol and Glasgow.

From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026

These cans contained fillets from four species collected over a 42-year span in the Gulf of Alaska and Bristol Bay.

From Science Daily • Apr. 1, 2026

I was taken home across the Bristol Channel on the paddle-steamer and I felt so wonderful at being away from that dreaded school building that I very nearly forgot I was meant to be ill.

From "Boy: Tales of a Childhood" by Roald Dahl