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Istanbul

American  
[is-tahn-bool, -tan-, is-tahn-bool, -tan-, is-tahm-bool] / ˌɪs tɑnˈbul, -tæn-, ˈɪs tɑnˌbʊl, -tæn-, ɪsˈtɑm bʊl /
Also Stamboul.

noun

  1. a port in northwestern Turkey, on both sides of the Bosporus: built by Constantine I on the site of ancient Byzantium; capital of the Eastern Roman Empire and of the Ottoman Empire; capital removed to Ankara 1923.


Istanbul British  
/ ˌɪstænˈbuːl /

noun

  1. Former name (330–1926): Constantinople.  Ancient name: Byzantium.  a port in NW Turkey, on the western (European) shore of the Bosporus: the largest city in Turkey; founded in about 660 bc by Greeks; refounded by Constantine the Great in 330 ad as the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire; taken by the Turks in 1453 and remained capital of the Ottoman Empire until 1922; industrial centre for shipbuilding, textiles, etc. Pop: 9 760 000 (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

Istanbul Cultural  
  1. Largest city in Turkey, located in the northwestern part of the country on both sides of the Bosporus.


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Formerly called Byzantium, then Constantinople, the city was the capital consecutively of the eastern branch of the Roman Empire, of the Byzantine Empire, and of the Ottoman Empire.

It is the seat of the Eastern Orthodox Church.

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.

Thousands joined a New Year's Day rally for Gaza in Istanbul Thursday, waving Palestinian and Turkish flags and calling for an end to the violence in the tiny war-torn territory.

From Barron's

Wednesday's raids took place in Istanbul and 24 other provinces including Ankara and Yalova, the minister said.

From Barron's

He returned this year, settling in his cousin’s stone house after nearly a decade in exile in the north and in Istanbul.

From The Wall Street Journal

She described how hundreds of police descended on the Istanbul mayor's home on the morning of his arrest.

From Barron's

Direct talks between Russian and Ukrainian negotiators earlier this year in Istanbul failed to break the deadlock and despite the flurry of diplomacy, the positions of the two countries appear to still be far apart.

From Barron's