Harlem

[hahr-luh m]

noun

a section of New York City, in the NE part of Manhattan.
a tidal river in New York City, between the boroughs of Manhattan and the Bronx, which, with Spuyten Duyvil Creek, connects the Hudson and East rivers. 8 miles (13 km) long.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for harlem

Contemporary Examples of harlem

In neighborhoods such as Harlem, 33 percent of students attend charter schools, a majority of them black or Latino.
How Public Sector Unions Divide the Democrats
Daniel DiSalvo
December 29, 2014
After raising a cool $2m last night, Will met the President today in DC while Kate visited a Harlem youth project.
Kate Middleton and Prince William's $2m Dinner
Tom Sykes
December 8, 2014
Banks grew up far from the trailer park—up on 152nd St. and Amsterdam in Harlem.
Azealia Banks Opens Up About Her Journey from Stripping to Rap Stardom
Marlow Stern
November 17, 2014
And I think some of my favorite memories are just being all together in that house in Harlem.
All Eyes on Anjelica Huston: The Legendary Actress on Love, Abuse, and Jack Nicholson
Alex Suskind
November 10, 2014
Once back in his Harlem apartment, he closely monitored his condition, taking his temperature twice a day.
Why New York’s Ebola Case Will Hurt Infected Patients Everywhere
Abby Haglage
October 24, 2014

Historical Examples of harlem

Never nearer than Harlem Heights, where he lay with his regiment.
The Contrast
Royall Tyler
It was as if a dweller in a Harlem flat had been presented with a hippopotamus.
Shavings
Joseph C. Lincoln
Then we moved to Harlem and I rented this place for the summer.
Melomaniacs
James Huneker
Yet in Harlem there was a broken old man who would not like it.
The Paliser case
Edgar Saltus
But, as Harlem receded, it had ridden higher and brightened in the ride.
The Paliser case
Edgar Saltus

British Dictionary definitions for harlem

Harlem

noun

a district of New York City, in NE Manhattan: now largely a Black ghetto

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

Word Origin and History for harlem

Harlem

Manhattan district, used figuratively for "African-American culture" from 1934. The N.Y. community was founded 1658 and originally named Nieuw Haarlem for Haarlem in Netherlands, which probably is from Dutch haar "height" + lem "silt," in reference to its position on a slight elevation on the banks of the Spaarne River.

harlem in Culture

Harlem

Neighborhood of Manhattan.

Note

Mostly populated by African-Americans, Harlem has long been a center of black culture.

Note

During the 1920s, Harlem was the site of a great upsurge in black literature, music, and theater known as the Harlem Renaissance.

Note

The area now contains a large Puerto Rican population and, after a period of economic decay, has experienced a revitalization.