Arab
noun
a member of a Semitic people inhabiting Arabia and other countries of the Middle East.
Arab
1 American
[ar-uhb]
/ ˈær əb /
noun
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Arabs
plural
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a member of a Semitic people inhabiting Arabia and other countries of the Middle East.
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a member of any Arabic-speaking people.
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Also called Arabber. Sometimes Offensive. a street peddler.
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Archaic: Sometimes Offensive. street arab.
Arab.
2
American
abbreviation
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Arabia.
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Arabian.
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Arabic.
Arab
British
noun
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a member of a Semitic people originally inhabiting Arabia, who spread throughout the Middle East, N Africa, and Spain during the seventh and eighth centuries ad
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a lively intelligent breed of horse, mainly used for riding
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(modifier) of or relating to the Arabs
the Arab nations
Sensitive Note
The meanings “street peddler” and “vagabond” (in this second sense, also called a street arab ) are sometimes perceived as insulting because of their reference to the historically nomadic peoples of Arabia. The meaning “vagabond” has fallen into disuse. However, street vendors in Baltimore, Maryland, are called Arabs; in fact, it is a self-referential term—that is, one used by the vendors themselves.
Pronunciation
The pronunciation of Arab as , with an initial sound and secondary stress on the second syllable, is sometimes used facetiously or disparagingly. It is especially common in the street-peddler and street-arab senses and is usually considered offensive in any sense.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of Arab
First recorded in 1350–1400; from Latin Arab-, stem of Arabs, from Greek Árab-, stem of Áraps “Arabian, an Arabian, Arab,” from Arabic ʿArab, a self-designation
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.
See Examples For:
One Indian crew member died in the attack on the ship which was carrying about 170,000 tons of coal from the United Arab Emirates to India.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026
A Melbourne man whose Islamic community centre has been linked by prosecutors in the United Arab Emirates to the co-pilot who allegedly attacked the captain of a flydubai jet has hit out at "false accusations".
From Barron's ● Oct. 12, 2026
To keep exports flowing from Gulf Arab states, the US military has been providing protection for tankers shuttling oil through the Strait of Hormuz.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
Joby could launch air taxis in the United Arab Emirates in the next year, while Archer says its goal is to operate in Los Angeles in time for the 2028 Olympic Games.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
Arabic street signs could be seen everywhere, and Arab newspapers and magazines covered the stands.
From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda
“Today I feel Arab. Today I feel African. Today I feel gay. Today I feel disabled. Today I feel a migrant worker.”
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 19, 2022
“Today I feel Qatari. I feel Arab. I feel African. I feel gay. I feel disabled. I feel a migrant worker.”
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 19, 2022
“All of our river water got destroyed. Go to Shatt al Arab. There's no fish there.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 17, 2018
They see me and think, ‘You’re tan. You’re Jewish. You’re Greek. You’re Arab. You’re a mad scientist . . .’ In the beginning I played a cab driver but I never played a terrorist.
From Salon ● Jul. 14, 2017
Arab., &c. &c., which I think contains an Armenian grammar.
From Notes and Queries, Number 42, August 17, 1850 by Various
The SDF amassed around 100,000 fighters at its peak, both Kurds and Arabs, and controlled swathes of Syria's oil-rich north and northeast.
From Barron's ● Aug. 25, 2026
The overwhelming majority of Christians who live in Jerusalem are Palestinian Arabs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026
It is time, he tells his students, to prepare to fight for a future that is free from both the British and the Arabs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
They're not there yet – for now the Arabs are focused on defence.
From BBC ● Mar. 3, 2026
“Afghanistan has been invaded so many times. By the Persians, Greeks, Arabs, Turks, Mongols, British, and then the Soviets...”
From "Shooting Kabul" by N. H. Senzai
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.
