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  • baraka
    baraka
    noun
    a spiritual power believed to be possessed by certain persons, objects, tombs, etc.
  • Baraka
    Baraka
    noun
    Imamu Amiri Everett LeRoi Jones, 1934–2014, U.S. dramatist, poet, and political activist.

baraka

1 American  
[buh-rah-kuh] / bəˈrɑ kə /

noun

Islam.
  1. a spiritual power believed to be possessed by certain persons, objects, tombs, etc.


Baraka 2 American  
[buh-rah-kuh] / bəˈrɑ kə /

noun

  1. Imamu Amiri Everett LeRoi Jones, 1934–2014, U.S. dramatist, poet, and political activist.


Etymology

Origin of baraka

< Arabic barakah; compare Hebrew bərākhāh blessing

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:

A deft handler of vastly different factions in his country, among them Islamic militants, the charismatic ruler was said by Moroccans to have baraka, or blessedness.

From Time Magazine Archive

Moroccans insist that Hassan, as a direct descendant of Mohammed, possesses baraka, or the indefinable charisma that brings blessings to others.

From Time Magazine Archive

General Henri Giraud has always had what the Arabs call the baraka, an uncanny ability to escape death and disaster.

From Time Magazine Archive

At 3 o'clock one morning last week, Yacef's baraka ran out.

From Time Magazine Archive

The Arabic baraka, to bend the knee, to fall on the breast, is probably the Saxon brecau, the Danish bräkke, the Swedish bräcka, Welsh bregu, and our word to break.

From Atlantis : the antediluvian world by Donnelly, Ignatius

Ras Baraka, mayor of Newark, is likewise attempting to shut the facility down via the courts.

From The Wall Street Journal Jun. 8, 2026

"To ensure the safety and well-being of all residents, a mandatory curfew for a half-mile area surrounding Delaney Hall is being implemented, effective immediately," Newark Mayor Ras Baraka said in a statement.

From Barron's May 31, 2026

In the belly of a whale at a jazz venue in Little Tokyo, early 2014, I gathered with Fred Moten, Kima Jones and others to memorialize Amiri Baraka a week or so after his death.

From Los Angeles Times Jan. 28, 2026

Baraka has since sued Habba over his arrest.

From Salon Jul. 23, 2025

“We do study that, Chelsea,” Ms. Hawkins interrupts, gesturing toward her books by Nikki Giovanni and Amiri Baraka.

From "Watch Us Rise" by Renée Watson and Ellen Hagan

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