Birmingham
Americannoun
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a city in West Midlands, in central England.
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a city in central Alabama.
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a city in SE Michigan, near Detroit.
noun
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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
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a unitary authority in central England, in the West Midlands. Pop: 992 100 (2003 est). Area: 283 sq km (109 sq miles)
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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 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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
With Durban stripped of the rights to host the 2022 Commonwealth Games after failing to meet key milestones or provide financial guarantees, Birmingham stepped in.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
Everything Must Go at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery was inspired by "things that are no longer with us", he said, describing his first major solo art exhibition as "a neon graveyard, full of colour".
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
After winning bronze in Birmingham four years ago, Lamboria hopes to leave Glasgow with gold.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
But, in reality, given she has moved to the road since winning gold in Birmingham, McColgan was unlikely to be a medal contender anyway at Scotstoun.
From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026
“When I was twelve or thirteen, I’d go to Newberry’s with friends,” remembered Larry Russell, who grew up in Birmingham, Alabama.
From "Because They Marched" by Russell Freedman
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.
