Arafat

¹ American  

[ar-uh-fat, ahr-uh-faht] / ˈær əˌfæt, ˈɑr əˌfɑt /

noun

1. Yasir 1929–2004, Palestinian leader: head of the Palestine Liberation Organization.

---

ʿArafat ² American  

[ahr-uh-fat, ar-uh-fat] / ˌɑr əˈfæt, ˈær əˌfæt /

noun

1. a hill 15 miles (24 km) southeast of Mecca, in Saudi Arabia: site of Muslim pilgrimages.

---

Arafat ¹ British  

/ ˈærəfæt /

noun

1. Also called: Jabal ar Rahm.  a hill in W Saudi Arabia, near Mecca: a sacred site of Islam, visited by pilgrims performing the hajj

---

Arafat ² British  

noun

1. Yasser (ˈjæsə). 1929–2004, Palestinian leader; cofounder of Al Fatah (1956), leader from 1968 of the Palestine Liberation Organization, president of the Palestinian National Authority from 1996: signed a peace agreement with Israel (1993); Nobel peace prize 1994 with Shimon Peres and Yitzhak Rabin

---

Example Sentences

French paratroopers, part of a multinational force, supervise the evacuation of Palestine Liberation Organization leader Yasser Arafat among the crowd and journalists on Aug. 30, 1982, in Beirut.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 27, 2026

The UN refugee agency's representative in Afghanistan, Arafat Jamal, said there was "no good choice" for those coming back.

From Barron's • Mar. 11, 2026

In the decade to come, Jackson basked in celebrity and international travel, including a controversial meeting with Yasser Arafat.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 17, 2026

Yeasin Arafat Emon, 25, said he had backed the charter.

From Barron's • Feb. 12, 2026

Standing on Mount Arafat had concluded the essential rites of being a pilgrim to Mecca.

From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey