Tel Aviv

American  

[tel uh-veev] / ˌtɛl əˈviv /

noun

1. a city in west central Israel: one of the centers of Jewish immigration following World War II. International embassies are located in the city.

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Tel Aviv British  

/ ˈtɛl əˈviːv /

noun

1. Official name: Tel Aviv-Jaffa.  a city in W Israel, on the Mediterranean: the largest city and chief financial centre of Israel; incorporated the city of Jaffa in 1950; university (1953): regarded by the international community as the capital of Israel, though most functions of the capital operate from Jerusalem. Pop: 363 400 (2003 est)

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• Tel Avivian
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of Tel Aviv

First recorded in 1915–20; from Hebrew tel “mound, hill, heap” + ābhībh “spring” (the season, symbol of renewal)

Example Sentences

But when, at 4 p.m. on May 14, 1948, David Ben Gurion declared the birth of the State of Israel in Tel Aviv, he would do so at 16 Rothschild Blvd.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 7, 2026

“Just in case I lose, they gave me the number to call. The area code is Tel Aviv though.”

From Slate • May 19, 2026

Musk, speaking virtually at the Samson International Smart Mobility Summit in Tel Aviv, was asked to describe an exciting breakthrough technology that he’s working on and that people “aren’t talking about enough.”

From MarketWatch • May 18, 2026

Nahed al-Hilou, a Gaza businessman now living in Ramallah, is equally afraid of leaving the central West Bank city he moved to from Tel Aviv after the war broke out.

From Barron's • May 9, 2026

When their plane landed at Tel Aviv, Poppy was talking so fast, Liyana couldn’t pay close attention to details.

From "Habibi" by Naomi Shihab Nye