Kaaba

British

/ ˈkɑːbə /

noun

a cube-shaped building in Mecca, the most sacred Muslim pilgrim shrine, into which is built the black stone believed to have been given by Gabriel to Abraham. Muslims turn in its direction when praying

"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

Etymology

Origin of Kaaba

from Arabic ka`bah, from ka`b cube

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.

After this final ceremony, the pilgrims return to Mecca for a last circumambulation of the Kaaba, the cuboid building at the heart of the Grand Mosque towards which Muslims turn when they pray.

From Barron's • May 27, 2026

His finance minister is left to explain the closing of big projects like Neom, a 105-mile-long city, or the Mukaab, a 1,300-foot cube-shaped skyscraper resembling the Kaaba shrine in Mecca.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 10, 2026

The pilgrims headed to Mecca's Grand Mosque, Islam's holiest site, and circled the Kaaba three times - a ritual known as tawaf.

From BBC • Jun. 4, 2025

For non-Muslims, the circling of the Kaaba — the black, cube-shaped structure in the holy city — is the most arresting visual moment associated with the annual Hajj pilgrimage.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 27, 2023

Next to it is a framed photo of the black-robed Kaaba, holiest sanctum of Islam, surrounded by a ten-thousandfold swirl of the faithful.

From "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel

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