mosque
Americannoun
-
mosques
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of mosque
1600–10; earlier mosquee < Middle French < Italian moschea ≪ Arabic masjid, derivative of sajada to worship, literally, prostrate oneself; the -ee seems to have been taken as diminutive suffix and dropped
Compare meaning
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Explanation
The mosque is the traditional Muslim place of worship. Architecturally, it often features a minaret, or onion-shaped dome, on top. Mosque stems from the Arabic word masjid, meaning "temple" or "place of worship." This building is very important religiously and politically, and can be a modest structure or an architectural masterpiece, such as the Great Mosque of Córdoba in Spain. Muslims, or practitioners of Islam, come together here and pray in rows facing in the direction of the holy city of Mecca.
Vocabulary lists containing mosque
World Religions
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The Middle East and Central Asia - Introductory
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The Middle East and Central Asia - Middle School
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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:
In others she stands outside a mosque while kids play with the bug’s feet and sits in an abandoned movie theater, her tail wrapped around the seats.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
I was angry as I stood behind President George W. Bush at a mosque on September 17, 2001.
From Salon ● Sep. 11, 2026
A security guard at the mosque, Amin Abdullah, exchanged gunfire with the attackers and initiated a lockdown, helping protect around 140 children who were inside the building.
From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2026
Mohsen enlists a cleric at the local mosque to help fund-raise, but the results are meager.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
A few men are seated with their sleeves rolled up, washing their arms and feet, and it suddenly occurs to me that the ancient mosque isn’t a museum or monument.
From "Amina's Song" by Hena Khan
Its mix of Spanish military fortifications, churches, mosques and even a synagogue is unusual for North Africa.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026
Local outlets say mosques have been receiving abusive phone calls and emails, some of which has prompted anti-hate groups to organise counter protests calling for no hate.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
He told me that during his childhood, Eid prayers were sometimes held in hotel ballrooms because mosques were too few and too small.
From Slate ● Jul. 14, 2026
She said she was astonished by what has been built in less than three years: "new hospitals, schools, mosques and a stadium".
From Barron's ● Jun. 6, 2026
Religions bring the sacred into our lives with Gothic churches, Muslim mosques, Hindu ashrams, Torah scrolls, Tibetan prayer wheels, priestly cassocks, candles, incense, Christmas trees, matzah balls, tombstones and icons.
From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari
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.
