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bin Laden

American  
[bin lahd-n] / bɪn ˈlɑd n /
Or Bin Laden

noun

  1. Osama, 1957–2011, Arab militant leader: founder of al-Qaeda.


bin Laden British  
/ ˌbɪnˈlɑːdən /

noun

  1. Osama (əʊˈsɑːmə). 1957–2011, Saudi-born leader of the al-Qaida terrorist network: presumed architect of the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington of September 11 2001. Killed by US Special Forces in Abbottabad, Pakistan

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

To be sure, one counterargument to the “good enough” narrative is that bin Laden envisioned al-Qaida as “the base” on which other groups could then build their Islamist groups and overthrow secular states.

From Slate • Apr. 21, 2026

Relations strained further when US troops killed al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden on Pakistani soil in 2011 without telling Islamabad, and Pakistan faced accusations of complicity in harbouring the fugitive.

From Barron's • Apr. 8, 2026

Serving life in prison, Ramírez in 2003 wrote a book titled “Revolutionary Islam” and declared his admiration for bin Laden.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 20, 2026

He not only reported on the front-line fighting but also won exclusive, and controversial, interviews with then-President Saddam Hussein and future 9/11 mastermind Osama bin Laden.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 21, 2025

For bin Laden, who despised the Western influence on the Middle East, his religion, Islam, influenced his political beliefs.

From Nazi Saboteurs by Samantha Seiple

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