Baalbek

American

[bahl-bek, bey-uhl-, beyl-] / ˈbɑl bɛk, ˈbeɪ əl-, ˈbeɪl- /

noun

a town in E Lebanon: ruins of ancient city; Temple of the Sun. 16,000. Ancient Greek name, Heliopolis.

Baalbek British

/ ˈbɑːlbɛk /

noun

Ancient name: Heliopolis. a town in E Lebanon: an important city in Phoenician and Roman times; extensive ruins. Pop: 150 000 (1998 est)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

Later on Wednesday Lebanese state media said Israeli strikes hit a hotel in the Beirut suburb of Hazmieh and a four-storey building in the eastern city of Baalbek.

From Barron's • Mar. 4, 2026

But those targets are incredibly close to the Baalbek temples and Roman ruins in Tyre, a major port of the Phoenician Empire around 2,500 years ago.

From BBC • Nov. 7, 2024

Unesco warned in a post on X on Wednesday that featured a photo of the Temple of Jupiter at Baalbek, that World Heritage sites across the Middle East, particularly those in Lebanon, were under threat.

From BBC • Oct. 30, 2024

A Hezbollah official confirmed that three strikes hit near Baalbek.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 26, 2024

Be not too quick, O Reader, to suspect and contemn; for the Venus-worship is not reinstated in Baalbek.

From The Book of Khalid by Rihani, Ameen Fares

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023