anthropol history (among Bantu peoples of southern Africa) a meeting to discuss a serious topic
informal a matter of concern or for discussion
1890–95; < Zulu indaba, izindaba (with implosive b ) matter for discussion, affair, account
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
If the great indaba finally does begin, it could founder all too quickly because the fundamental aims of the two main parties are so far apart.
From Time Magazine Archive
Last month Buthelezi opened a historic indaba, or meeting, between whites and blacks to discuss guidelines for creating in his home state of Natal the country's first completely multiracial government.
From Time Magazine Archive
For now, the first one is to convene the indaba.
From Time Magazine Archive
“So dey put de White Owl to guard de hole, an’ dey all goes back to hold a indaba.
From Old Hendrik's Tales by Vaughan, Arthur Owen
The indaba had dropped; but now Pandulu, who had spoken but little before, seemed anxious to revive it.
From Forging the Blades A Tale of the Zulu Rebellion by Mitford, Bertram
"We have the investors back," President Hakainde Hichilema told delegates at the African Mining Indaba conference on Monday, saying that more than $12 billion had flowed into the sector since 2022.
From Barron's ● Feb. 15, 2026
“We’ve taken some of the inventory up to five months, because of the Russian issue,” he said in an interview on the sidelines of the Mining Indaba conference in Cape Town.
From Reuters ● May 11, 2022
Last week I attended the Investing in African Mining Indaba in Cape Town, South Africa, as both a presenter and a student seeking opportunities.
From Forbes ● Feb. 20, 2015
“I would not be surprised at all if you see this new giant coming in and sweeping up” other companies, Kramer said in an interview at the Mining Indaba in Cape Town.
From BusinessWeek ● Feb. 7, 2012
They sprang up, for the most of them were seated on their haunches, and stamping their feet upon the ground in unison, repeated:— Indaba ibomwu—indaba ye mikonto Lizo dunyiswa nge impi ndhlebeni yaho.
From Black Heart and White Heart by Haggard, Henry Rider
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.
