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.
The unclaimed drone struck an electrical generator on Sunday near the Arab world's first nuclear power plant in Barakah in the emirate of Abu Dhabi, triggering a fire but causing no injuries nor radiation leak.
From Barron's • May 20, 2026
Joby could launch commercial air taxis in the United Arab Emirates in the next year.
From Los Angeles Times • May 20, 2026
A drone hit an electrical generator at the United Arab Emirates’ Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant over the weekend.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 19, 2026
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
A young Arab, also loaded down with baggage, entered, and greeted the Englishman.
From "The Alchemist" by Paulo Coelho
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.
