a member of a Semitic people inhabiting Arabia and other countries of the Middle East.
a member of any Arabic-speaking people.
Also called Arabber. Sometimes Offensive. a street peddler.
Archaic: Sometimes Offensive. street arab.
Arabia.
Arabian.
Arabic.
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
a lively intelligent breed of horse, mainly used for riding
(modifier) of or relating to the Arabs
the Arab nations
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.
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.
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
With regard to oil, he referred to major crises of the past few decades, such as the 1973 Arab oil embargo that hit the U.S., causing prices to almost quadruple and stay there for years.
From MarketWatch • May 19, 2026
Yuan settlement in goods and commodity trade has risen sharply, accelerating amid the conflict in the Middle East, with Iran and the United Arab Emirates signaling openness to yuan transactions.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 19, 2026
The US president said he had been asked to do so by the leaders of Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates as "serious negotiations are now taking place."
From Barron's • May 18, 2026
In a post on Truth Social, he said he had been asked to do so by the leaders of Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
From BBC • May 18, 2026
The text used virtually no Arabic, in subtle protest of the Arab conquests of Iran in the seventh century.
From "Here to Stay" by Sara Farizan
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.
