Byzantium

American

[bih-zan-shee-uhm, -tee-uhm] / bɪˈzæn ʃi əm, -ti əm /

noun

an ancient Greek city on the Bosporus and the Sea of Marmara: Constantine I rebuilt it and renamed it Constantinople a.d.

Byzantium British

/ baɪ-, bɪˈzæntɪəm /

noun

an ancient Greek city on the Bosporus: founded about 660 _bc ; rebuilt by Constantine I in 330 _ad and called Constantinople; present-day Istanbul

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

A priest traces the endless conflict of Russia and the West to the Crusaders’ sack of Constantinople, formerly Byzantium, in 1204.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 22, 2026

While Anna failed to reconcile her love for her father with her love of historical truth, recent scholars of Byzantium have rightly acclaimed “The Alexiad” as a historical source of first importance.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 9, 2026

Meanwhile diplomacy provided Byzantium with the intelligence to deflect pressure from the Huns and otherwise shape the Byzantine near abroad to favor its own interests.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 17, 2025

Likewise, taxes were lower under the Arabs as compared to Byzantium.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2020

The motives behind building the new church were twofold: to resurrect the ancient splendor of Byzantium and to show the world the financial wherewithal of die prospering Greek American community.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023