bethel
noun
a sacred area or sanctuary.
bethel
1 American
[beth-uhl]
/ ˈbɛθ əl /
noun
-
a sacred area or sanctuary.
-
a church or hostel for sailors.
Bethel
2
American
[beth-uhl, beth-el, beth-el]
/ ˈbɛθ əl, ˈbɛθ ɛl, ˌbɛθˈɛl /
noun
-
a village near Jerusalem.
-
a town in southwestern Connecticut.
Bethel
British
/ ˈbɛθəl /
noun
-
an ancient town in the West Bank, near Jerusalem: in the Old Testament, the place where the dream of Jacob occurred (Genesis 28:19)
-
a chapel of any of certain Nonconformist Christian sects
-
a seamen's chapel
Etymology
Origin of bethel
First recorded in 1610–20, bethel is from Hebrew bēth 'ēl “house of God”
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Don’t Miss: Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, the former Woodstock site, hosts open-air concerts and a small museum.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 20, 2026
Bethel found able allies in Will Jacks, who bagged three wickets, while fellow tweakers Adil Rashid and Liam Dawson chipped in with one apiece to keep the hosts on a tight leash.
From Barron's • Feb. 3, 2026
Lian Amari and Robert Fisher have six kids living at home in Bethel Park, Pa. The couple worries about paying for groceries, after-school activities and healthcare, especially after recent increases to their insurance premiums.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 3, 2025
Some streets around the crash site remain closed, but Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel said that some lanes could open to traffic on Monday.
From BBC • Feb. 2, 2025
Mrs. Richardson asked on an impulse, and after a brief pause and the clacking of a keyboard, the woman replied that yes, a Mia Wright had been born in Bethel Park in 1962.
From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
