Istanbul

American  

[is-tahn-bool, -tan-, is-tahn-bool, -tan-, is-tahm-bool] / ˌɪs tɑnˈbul, -tæn-, ˈɪs tɑnˌbʊl, -tæn-, ɪsˈtɑm bʊl /

Also Stamboul.

noun

1. a port in northwestern Turkey, on both sides of the Bosporus: built by Constantine I on the site of ancient Byzantium; capital of the Eastern Roman Empire and of the Ottoman Empire; capital removed to Ankara 1923.

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Istanbul British  

/ ˌɪstænˈbuːl /

noun

1. Former name (330–1926): Constantinople.  Ancient name: Byzantium.  a port in NW Turkey, on the western (European) shore of the Bosporus: the largest city in Turkey; founded in about 660 _bc by Greeks; refounded by Constantine the Great in 330 _ad as the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire; taken by the Turks in 1453 and remained capital of the Ottoman Empire until 1922; industrial centre for shipbuilding, textiles, etc. Pop: 9 760 000 (2005 est))

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Istanbul Cultural  

1. Largest city in Turkey, located in the northwestern part of the country on both sides of the Bosporus.

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Formerly called Byzantium, then Constantinople, the city was the capital consecutively of the eastern branch of the Roman Empire, of the Byzantine Empire, and of the Ottoman Empire.

It is the seat of the Eastern Orthodox Church.

Example Sentences

He perhaps brought the same bag he took to Istanbul a week or two ago as he brought European adaptors to the United States.

From BBC • Jun. 3, 2026

Turkey on Tuesday expressed alarm over a weekend gig by Kanye West in Istanbul attended by nearly 120,000 fans, saying it included elements that offended its spiritual sensitivities.

From Barron's • Jun. 2, 2026

Nine minutes into the second half, the homegrown captain, neck muscles flaring, flicked a header beyond Dida, circling his arms to rouse the Reds in the Istanbul stands.

From BBC • May 28, 2026

Born in Istanbul, Isak Andic moved with his family to Barcelona from Turkey as a teenager in the late 1960s.

From Barron's • May 26, 2026

"Was that the summer we spent in Beirut or, no, I'm thinking of the time we sailed from Cyprus and took the Orient Express to Istanbul."

From "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris