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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-kay-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

Less than a month later, the US and its allies invaded Afghanistan, seeking to destroy al-Qaeda.

From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026

The majority of those who carried out the 9/11 attacks were from Saudi Arabia and planning was led by al-Qaeda founder Osama Bin-Laden, scion of a prominent Saudi family.

From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026

Newly declassified documents show that three years before 9/11, US intelligence officials were discussing the possibility that al-Qaeda "may fly an explosive airplane into a US city".

From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026

On 11 September 2001, four passenger aircraft were hijacked by 19 members of the Islamist extremist network, al-Qaeda.

From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026

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

From "Shooting Kabul" by N. H. Senzai

"Generations of C.I.A. officers have since dedicated their careers to securing justice for our fallen Americans and ensuring Al Qaeda would never again harm our country," he added.

From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026

After Al Qaeda terrorists flew hijacked airliners into the World Trade Center in 2001, he was widely praised for his leadership, and Oprah Winfrey called him “America’s mayor.”

From Los Angeles Times ● May 3, 2026

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

Although U.N. monitors say that foreign fighters have indeed traveled to Afghanistan since the Taliban returned to power — there’s no doubt Al Qaeda retains a presence there — those fighters don’t have unfettered movement.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 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.)