hijab

American  

[hi-jahb, -jab] / hɪˈdʒɑb, -ˈdʒæb /

noun

1. a traditional scarf worn by Muslim women to cover the hair and neck and sometimes the face.

2. the traditional dress code of Muslim women, calling for the covering of the entire body except the face, hands, and feet.

   to observe the hijab.

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hijab British  

/ hɪˈdʒæb, hɛˈdʒɑːb /

noun

1. a covering for the head and face, worn by Muslim women

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Etymology

Origin of hijab

First recorded in 1885–90; from Arabic ḥijāb “veil, cover, curtain,” from ḥajaba “to cover”

Explanation

A hijab is a head covering scarf that some Muslim women wear in public. For many such women, the hijab signifies both modesty and privacy. In some cases, the hijab is worn by a woman when she's with men who aren't in her own family. For other Muslims, it's equally important to wear a hijab in the presence of non-Muslims, including women. Still other practicing Muslims choose not to wear a hijab at all. The word hijab is Persian, from the Arabic ḥajaba, or "veil."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

hijab

The wearing of a hijab is one of many rules brought in by the Taliban, who made it mandatory in May 2022.

From BBC ● Jun. 9, 2026

He says he has barely spoken to his uncle since major protests in 2022 following the death in custody of a young woman, Mahsa Amini, who was accused of not wearing the compulsory hijab properly.

From BBC ● Mar. 31, 2026

In 2022, he joined the vast crowds that poured onto the streets to denounce the death in detention of young Mahsa Amini after she was arrested for wearing her hijab improperly.

From Barron's ● Mar. 16, 2026

Free American women allowed themselves to say this to me, an Iranian who spent three years under forced hijab, in an Islamic Republic school.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 27, 2026

If Rabia were here, she’d walk right up to them, hands on hips, long braid swishing like a whip from under her hijab, and tell them to knock it off.

From "A Place at the Table" by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan