Birmingham

American  

[bur-ming-uhm, bur-ming-ham] / ˈbɜr mɪŋ əm, ˈbɜr mɪŋˌhæm /

noun

1. a city in West Midlands, in central England.

2. a city in central Alabama.

3. a city in SE Michigan, near Detroit.

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Birmingham British  

/ ˈbɜːmɪŋəm /

noun

1. an industrial city in central England, in Birmingham unitary authority, in the West Midlands: the second largest city in Great Britain; two cathedrals; three universities (1900, 1966, 1992). Pop: 970 892 (2001) informal Brummie

2. a unitary authority in central England, in the West Midlands. Pop: 992 100 (2003 est). Area: 283 sq km (109 sq miles)

3. an industrial city in N central Alabama: rich local deposits of coal, iron ore, and other minerals. Pop: 236 620 (2003 est)

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Birmingham ¹ Cultural  

1. City in north-central Alabama; largest city in the state.

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Birmingham ² Cultural  

1. City in central England; England's second-largest city, after London, and an important industrial and transportation center.

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Discover More

Birmingham was the site of extreme racial violence during the civil rights movement. Although associated with specific race riots in 1963, Birmingham came to represent, as a whole, southern white resistance to integration. (See “Letter from Birmingham Jail.”)

Birmingham is known as the “Pittsburgh of the South” for its steel and iron production.

Example Sentences

Birmingham 4, Taft 3: The Patriots scored three runs in the sixth and one in the seventh to win a West Valley League game.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 11, 2026

Bartley, of Erdington, will appear at Birmingham Magistrates' Court on 14 May.

From BBC • Apr. 8, 2026

And in came Lendeborg, a 6-foot-9 slasher from the University of Alabama at Birmingham who leveled up into a first-team All-American.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 7, 2026

Elena Walsh and her family, from Birmingham, were among those who booked a package holiday to the island through Tui last year.

From BBC • Apr. 7, 2026

On a warm Good Friday morning, I walked out of a Birmingham jail with an innocent man who had been condemned on Alabama's death row for nearly thirty years.

From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson