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.

---

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)

---

Other Word 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

See Examples For:

Tel Aviv

He received a hero’s welcome in Hostage Square in Tel Aviv after forging a tenuous Gaza ceasefire last October, visibly moved as he was drowned out by appreciative shouts of “Thank you, Witkoff!”

From Slate ● Jul. 22, 2026

Policymakers in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv look past the public-relations campaigns around the Syrian president.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026

Rahm Emanuel, a former Chicago mayor and former White House chief of staff under President Obama, spoke Wednesday at Tel Aviv University.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 11, 2026

But in Florence, he joked that Gallrein's phone number "has a Tel Aviv area code".

From BBC ● May 18, 2026

Excellent guitar, passable English, and charm had served him well enough in Tel Aviv.

From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny