Harlem

American  

[hahr-luhm] / ˈhɑr ləm /

noun

1. a section of New York City, in the NE part of Manhattan.

2. 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.

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Harlem British  

/ ˈhɑːləm /

noun

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

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Harlem Cultural  

1. Neighborhood of Manhattan.

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Discover More

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

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

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

Example Sentences

Perceval Legallois has only had two runs since September, so he drops out on that metric, while Spanish Harlem and High Class Hero were pulled up on their last run.

From BBC • Apr. 10, 2026

“The 1930s were a peak moment where the greatest, most innovative jazz had a large place in the commercial popular-music world,” says Loren Schoenberg, senior scholar at the National Jazz Museum in Harlem.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 21, 2026

"Mom, thank you for driving me back and forth to New York when we didn't have enough money to go through the Harlem tunnel, when we were looking for gas money, parking spaces," he said.

From BBC • Mar. 2, 2026

“Remember the Times” stretches back to Riley’s childhood in Harlem, where the playground of his elementary school abutted the parking lot behind New York’s venerable Apollo Theater.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 18, 2026

What I did know was that I wanted to get away from home, away from Harlem, away from anyone in the world who might care to ask what I would be doing with my life.

From "Bad Boy" by Walter Dean Myers