bethel
noun
a sacred area or sanctuary.
bethel
1 American
[beth-uhl]
/ ˈbɛθ əl /
noun
-
bethels
plural
-
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
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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.
See Examples For:
The bethel was in itself a very neat affair.
From Kathay: A Cruise in the China Seas by W. Hastings Macaulay
This over, the place began in earnest its distinctive career. fish island. seamen’s bethel and sailor’s home. merchants’ and mechanics’ bank.
From The New England Magazine, Volume 1, No. 5, Bay State Monthly, Volume 4, No. 5, May, 1886 by Various
Sometimes I’m almost persuaded to be converted, and take the boss position in a bethel, all amongst the tea and wimmen-folk.
From The Tale of Timber Town by Alfred A. (Alfred Augustus) Grace
In the United States, Parton's books have reached as far as Bethel, Alaska, a small town accessible only by plane or boat that serves as a hub for Indigenous villages.
From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026
On Aug. 14, a statue of Melville will also be unveiled at the nearby Seamen’s Bethel chapel.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 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
Colbert, 57, grew up in Bethel, Conn., about 60 miles northeast of New York City.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 5, 2025
It resounded in the sanctuaries of First Baptist and Queen Street Baptist and Bethel AME and thousands of black churches around the country.
From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly
During the last years of paganism the neo-Platonists developed a superstitious worship of the bethels; see Conybeare, Transactions of the Congress of Hist. of Rel.,
From The Oriental Religions in Roman Paganism by Franz Cumont
It has societies, “homes,” and bethels for his benefit, and a fine marine hospital.
From The Sea: Its Stirring Story of Adventure, Peril, & Heroism. Volume 1 by Frederick Whymper
With regard to the Babylonian bethels, very little can be said, their true nature being uncertain, and their number, to all appearance, small.
From The Religion of Babylonia and Assyria by Theophilus Goldridge Pinches
There are morning and evening and weekly newspapers; clubs and reading-rooms and bowling alleys; billiard halls and barrooms; schools and bethels.
From Kokoro Japanese Inner Life Hints by Lafcadio Hearn
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.
