Arab
noun
a member of a Semitic people inhabiting Arabia and other countries of the Middle East.
Arab
1 American
[ar-uhb]
/ ˈær əb /
noun
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Arabs
plural
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a member of a Semitic people inhabiting Arabia and other countries of the Middle East.
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a member of any Arabic-speaking people.
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Also called Arabber. Sometimes Offensive. a street peddler.
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Archaic: Sometimes Offensive. street arab.
Arab.
2
American
abbreviation
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Arabia.
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Arabian.
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Arabic.
Arab
British
noun
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a member of a Semitic people originally inhabiting Arabia, who spread throughout the Middle East, N Africa, and Spain during the seventh and eighth centuries ad
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a lively intelligent breed of horse, mainly used for riding
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(modifier) of or relating to the Arabs
the Arab nations
Sensitive Note
The meanings “street peddler” and “vagabond” (in this second sense, also called a street arab ) are sometimes perceived as insulting because of their reference to the historically nomadic peoples of Arabia. The meaning “vagabond” has fallen into disuse. However, street vendors in Baltimore, Maryland, are called Arabs; in fact, it is a self-referential term—that is, one used by the vendors themselves.
Pronunciation
The pronunciation of Arab as , with an initial sound and secondary stress on the second syllable, is sometimes used facetiously or disparagingly. It is especially common in the street-peddler and street-arab senses and is usually considered offensive in any sense.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of Arab
First recorded in 1350–1400; from Latin Arab-, stem of Arabs, from Greek Árab-, stem of Áraps “Arabian, an Arabian, Arab,” from Arabic ʿArab, a self-designation
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.
See Examples For:
Chinese suppliers can also make private-label products for companies in Indonesia, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia or the United Arab Emirates that know their local markets but lack China’s manufacturing scale.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 12, 2026
And in Asia, at least half a dozen nations, including Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, have announced they would side with him in any vote.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
The United Arab Emirates’ Adnoc Gas said it would invest over $8 billion to grow its production capacity, just months after the country’s departure from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026
Gomes Neto highlighted an order of 10 of the company's KC-390 military transport aircraft by the United Arab Emirates -- the largest international order to date.
From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026
“I saw it in an Arab movie once! It’s like the tongue is trying to fly!”
From "Habibi" by Naomi Shihab Nye
“Today I feel Qatari. I feel Arab. I feel African. I feel gay. I feel disabled. I feel a migrant worker.”
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 19, 2022
“Today I feel Arab. Today I feel African. Today I feel gay. Today I feel disabled. Today I feel a migrant worker.”
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 19, 2022
“All of our river water got destroyed. Go to Shatt al Arab. There's no fish there.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 17, 2018
They see me and think, ‘You’re tan. You’re Jewish. You’re Greek. You’re Arab. You’re a mad scientist . . .’ In the beginning I played a cab driver but I never played a terrorist.
From Salon ● Jul. 14, 2017
A written decree of an Ottoman sultan is also termed an irade, the word being taken from the Arab. irādā, will, volition, order.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 10, Slice 4 "Finland" to "Fleury, Andre" by Various
The overwhelming majority of Christians who live in Jerusalem are Palestinian Arabs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026
A poll released by the Israel Democracy Institute on Wednesday suggested that 93% of the Jewish public were in favour of it, compared with 26% among Israeli Arabs.
From BBC ● Mar. 5, 2026
Iran’s population is diverse; an estimated two-thirds of Iranians are Persian, while minorities include Kurds, Baloch, Arabs and Azeris.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 3, 2026
The Sunni Arabs, from whom HTS come, form around 74%.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 3, 2025
The Greeks thought of flowing hair, the Arabs of flaming swords.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
