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

See Examples For:

Birmingham

The superfast 140-mile rail line between London and Birmingham will cost up to $971 million a mile by the time it’s fully open—currently estimated for 2040 at the earliest.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026

Villa could still make light of it in Europe, though, with Viking also travelling to Birmingham in the league phase on 21 October.

From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026

The BBC had initially pledged to build the show a new studio in the Tea Factory, the corporation's new hub in Digbeth, central Birmingham.

From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026

The breakthrough can be traced to research Messing conducted with Michael Brenner, professor emeritus of neurobiology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 13, 2026

While many abolitionist groups favored a gradual approach to ending slavery, the women of Birmingham read and discussed Elizabeth Heyrick’s argument that all slaves must be freed at once.

From "Sugar Changed the World: A Story of Magic, Spice, Slavery, Freedom, and Science" by Marc Aronson

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