bin Laden

American

[bin lahd-n] / bɪn ˈlɑd n /

Or Bin Laden

noun

Osama, 1957–2011, Arab militant leader: founder of al-Qaeda.

bin Laden British

/ ˌbɪnˈlɑːdən /

noun

Osama (əʊˈsɑːmə). 1957–2011, Saudi-born leader of the al-Qaida terrorist network: presumed architect of the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington of September 11 2001. Killed by US Special Forces in Abbottabad, Pakistan

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

Relations strained further when US troops killed al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden on Pakistani soil in 2011 without telling Islamabad, and Pakistan faced accusations of complicity in harbouring the fugitive.

From Barron's • Apr. 8, 2026

The Central Intelligence Agency worked closely with Pakistan’s army and intelligence services in its hunt for the al Qaeda militants responsible for Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, including the group’s leader, bin Laden.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 29, 2026

Before one game, U.S. manager Mark DeRosa invited Robert O’Neill, one of the members of the Navy Seal team that killed Osama bin Laden, to address the team.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 17, 2026

Barack Obama captured Osama bin Laden in Pakistan in 2011, but remained at war in Afghanistan for the remainder of his presidency.

From Slate • Jan. 5, 2026

We were in a Bedouin camp in the Jordanian desert on the day the navy SEALs killed bin Laden.

From "Educated" by Tara Westover

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023