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• al-Qaeda
  al-Qaeda

  noun

  a radical Sunni Muslim organization dedicated to the elimination of a Western presence in Arab countries and militantly opposed to Western foreign policy: founded by Osama bin Laden in 1988.
• Al Qaeda
  Al Qaeda

  An Islamic terrorist network headed by Osama bin Laden. It is generally believed to have been responsible for the September 11 attacks.

al-Qaeda

American  

[al-key-duh, ‑-kahy-duh] / ælˈkeɪ də, ‑ˈkaɪ də /

Or al-Qaida

noun

1. a radical Sunni Muslim organization dedicated to the elimination of a Western presence in Arab countries and militantly opposed to Western foreign policy: founded by Osama bin Laden in 1988.

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al-Qaeda British  

/ ælˈkaɪdə, ælkɑːˈiːdə /

noun

1. a loosely-knit militant Islamic organization led and funded by Osama bin Laden, by whom it was established in the late 1980s from Arab volunteers who had fought the Soviet troops previously based in Afghanistan; known or believed to be behind a number of operations against Western, especially US, interests, including bomb attacks on two US embassies in Africa in 1998 and the destruction of the World Trade Center in New York in 2001

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Al Qaeda Cultural  

1. An Islamic terrorist network headed by Osama bin Laden. It is generally believed to have been responsible for the September 11 attacks.

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Etymology

Origin of al-Qaeda

From the Arabic word al-qa'ida, literally, the base

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

al-Qaeda Al Qaeda

Yet Mr. Sharaa is a former al-Qaeda commander.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026

Less immediate concern about non-state actors and militant groups such as al-Qaeda or ISIS.

From BBC ● Jun. 12, 2026

Mahmood Habibi, a telecoms consultant, was abducted in Kabul in August 2022, shortly after a US strike that killed al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri.

From Barron's ● Mar. 24, 2026

He wrote extensively about the rise of al-Qaeda affiliates in the region and the growing influence of tech and new outsourcing industries while cultivating a taste for offbeat and obscure stories.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 19, 2026

“It is not good that outside elements, like al-Qaeda, are ruining Afghanistan.”

From "Shooting Kabul" by N. H. Senzai

HTS was set up under a different name, Jabhat al-Nusra, in 2011 as a direct affiliate of Al Qaeda.

From BBC ● Nov. 30, 2024

Capitol, narrating in Arabic as he shows entrances, security posts and parking areas, presumably for his Al Qaeda handlers.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2024

The lawsuit turns on whether assistance from Saudi individuals and groups to two hijackers who had lived in San Diego was part of the Al Qaeda plot.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2024

Groups that have declared allegiance to Al Qaeda and the Islamic State are on the march.

From New York Times ● Jun. 7, 2024

As one Iraqi official told us, "Al Qaeda is now a franchise in Iraq, like McDonald's."

From The Iraq Study Group Report by Iraq Study Group (U.S.)