Istanbul

American

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

Also Stamboul.

noun

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

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

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.

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Istanbul

"I went to the airport to see him in Istanbul and it was surreal," says Nisa Dumangoz.

From BBC ● Nov. 8, 2026

Prosecutors previously alleged Alfozan booked one-way plane tickets from San Francisco to Saudi Arabia via Istanbul for himself, his wife and their newborn son departing on Oct.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026

When it comes to comebacks, Liverpool and Istanbul have plenty of history - but this time Andoni Iraola's side made the wrong kind.

From BBC ● Nov. 4, 2026

Alas’s love of hosting dates back to his childhood growing up in Istanbul.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 1, 2026

There was Milan, there was New York, there was Istanbul....

From "Chasing Vermeer" by Blue Balliett

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