caliphate
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of caliphate
Explanation
Historically, a caliphate was an area where religious Muslims lived under the leadership of a caliph, who was considered to be a successor to Muhammad, Islam's prophet and founder. A caliphate is a kind of state, but because it's based on religion, it's not bound by the international laws that govern nation-states. The earliest caliphates were formed after Muhammad's death in 632, as a way to continue his teachings. The last political caliphate, in the Ottoman Empire, ended in 1923. In more recent times, the extremist militants known as ISIL have declared themselves to be a caliphate. The word is rooted in the Arabic khalifa, "successor."
Vocabulary lists containing caliphate
This Week in Words: January 12 - 18, 2019
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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.
A group of women linked to Islamic State jihadists arrived in Australia on Thursday, returning home years after allegedly sneaking into Syria to join the group's self-declared caliphate.
From Barron's • May 7, 2026
Third, the military collapse of the caliphate 10 years ago didn’t result only in its territorial disappearance; it also led to the internment of several thousand jihadists fanatical to the point of madness.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 2, 2026
The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces spearheaded the battle against IS in Syria, backed by a US-led coalition, after it declared a "caliphate" in swathes of Syria and neighbouring Iraq in 2014.
From Barron's • Jan. 21, 2026
He’s also joining a U.S. coalition against Islamic State, whose fighters are still active in Syria and would like to reconstitute its caliphate in the country.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 11, 2025
“I am famous from the courts of Chang’an to the caliphate of Baghdad for my honesty. They speak of my bargains among the tongueless island tribes—they click about me, like you do, Rasseem.”
From "The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams" by Daniel Nayeri
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.
