Bethlehem

American  

[beth-li-hem, -lee-uhm] / ˈbɛθ lɪˌhɛm, -li əm /

noun

1. a town in NW Jordan, near Jerusalem; occupied by Israel since 1967: birthplace of Jesus and David.

2. a city in E Pennsylvania.

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Bethlehem British  

/ ˈbɛθlɪˌhɛm, -lɪəm /

noun

1. a town in the West Bank, near Jerusalem: birthplace of Jesus and early home of King David

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Bethlehem Cultural  

1. The village near Jerusalem (see also Jerusalem) where Jesus was born. (See Nativity.)

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Example Sentences

The uplighted orrery glows on the faces of two boys who lean into the circuits of solar orbit as it once glowed on the faces of the shepherds and magi at the crib in Bethlehem.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 14, 2026

Battalions are gathered on the banks of Portland, Ore.; Bethlehem; Charlotte, N.C.;

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 19, 2026

Once home to Bethlehem Steel, which filed for bankruptcy in 2001, the region has continued to expand its manufacturing base, helped by its proximity to ports in New York and New Jersey.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 30, 2026

The children took the ominous message from Israeli authorities to Muhannad Abu Srour, sports director at the Aida Youth Centre in the camp near Bethlehem, and the news was not good.

From Barron's • Dec. 19, 2025

When demand for steel increased during World War I, streams of white workers moved into the nearby town of Dundalk, and Bethlehem Steel’s housing barracks for black workers quickly overflowed, pushing them into Turner Station.

From "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot