Arab

1 of 2

noun

Ar·​ab ˈa-rəb 

ˈer-əb;

 dialectal also  ˈā-ˌrab

1

a

: a member of an Arabic-speaking people

b

: a member of the Semitic people of the Arabian Peninsula

2

: arabian horse

Arab adjective

Arab

2 of 2

abbreviation

Arabian; Arabic

Examples of Arab in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

According to Israeli data, the Golan Heights is home to around 50,000 people, roughly split between Jewish Israelis and Arab Druze, many of whom still identify as Syrians. —Raja Krishnamoorthi, Newsweek, 16 Dec. 2024

Other transitions after the Arab Spring uprisings have not gone well, either. —Robin Wright, The New Yorker, 15 Dec. 2024

Massad Boulos Trump tapped Massad Boulos, father-in-law to his daughter, Tiffany Trump, as his senior advisor on Arab and Middle Eastern affairs. —Sara Dorn, Forbes, 15 Dec. 2024

The Sunni Arab insurgents who overthrew Assad did so with vital help from Turkey, a longtime foe of the U.S.-backed Kurds. —Albert Aji and Matthew Lee The Associated Press, arkansasonline.com, 14 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Latin Arabus, Arabs, from Greek Arab-, Araps, of Semitic origin; akin to Akkadian Arabu, Aribi desert nomads, Arabic A'rāb Bedouins

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Phrases Containing Arab

• anti-Arab
• Arab Spring

Kids Definition

Arab

noun

Ar·​ab

ˈar-əb

1

a

: a member of the Semitic people of the Arabian Peninsula

b

: a member of an Arabic-speaking people

2

: arabian horse

Arab adjective