Erbil

American

[ir-bil] / ˈɪr bɪl /

Also Irbil,

noun

a town in northern Iraq: built on the site of ancient Arbela.

Erbil British

/ ˈɜːbɪl /

noun

Ancient name: Arbela. a city in N Iraq: important in Assyrian times. Pop: 870 000 (2005 est)

"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.

When our undercover reporter arrived at the Hawaladar in Erbil, the man running it appeared to be familiar with the arrangements.

From BBC • Apr. 10, 2026

Embassy, the airport in Baghdad and a U.S. base at the Erbil airport.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 21, 2026

Brigadier Guy Foden said the base and another in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad were struck "a number of times" on Wednesday night and British personnel are currently in Erbil helping to defend that base.

From BBC • Mar. 12, 2026

Mohsin Khalidi, 63, an Iranian Kurdish poet who has lived in Erbil since 2004, said regime change is a "common desire" among Kurds, but their forces alone cannot achieve it.

From Barron's • Mar. 10, 2026

On the 28th of June the caravan reached Erbil, anciently Arbela, the scene of one of Alexander the Great's most famous victories.

From Celebrated Women Travellers of the Nineteenth Century by Adams, W. H. Davenport

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