caliphate

Or cal·if·ate,

[kal-uh-feyt, -fit, key-luh-]

noun

1. the rank, jurisdiction, or government of a caliph.

caliphate

/ -fɪt, ˈkeɪlɪˌfeɪt, ˈkæl- /

noun

1. the office, jurisdiction, or reign of a caliph

Word History and Origins

Origin of caliphate¹

First recorded in 1725–35; caliph + -ate ³

Example Sentences

The Nigerian army plays down casualties in its fight against jihadists who have been waging a 16-year insurrection to establish a caliphate in the northeast.

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Abroad, they openly sow the seeds of jihad, cheer for a global caliphate and preach for the destruction of Israel and Western civilization more broadly.

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Donald Trump, who was president at the time, declared the caliphate “obliterated.”

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Since breaking with Al Qaeda, its goal has been limited to trying to establish fundamentalist Islamic rule in Syria rather than a wider caliphate, as Isis tried and failed to do.

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The Islamic State once had a strong foothold in Iraq and Syria, but a US-led coalition of more than 70 countries largely drove them out from the physical caliphate they had created there.

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