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

His father, who helped manage the new Burns Harbor plant for Bethlehem Steel, chose to move his family half an hour northeast along the dunes rather than west where more Black Midwesterners lived.

From Slate • May 7, 2026

Thousands of Nigerian Christians go on pilgrimages each year to Biblical sites in Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Nazareth.

From BBC • Mar. 4, 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

I’ll tell you one thing that Father has sure wore out bad: his old green swivel rocker in the living room of our house where we live in Bethlehem, Georgia.

From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver