hamza

American

[hahm-zah] / ˈhɑm zɑ /

noun

the sign used in Arabic writing to represent the glottal stop, usually written above another letter and shown in English transliterations as an apostrophe.

hamza British

/ ˈhɑːmzɑː, -zə /

noun

the sign used in Arabic to represent the glottal stop

"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

Etymology

Origin of hamza

First recorded in 1935–40, hamza is from the Arabic word ḥamzah literally, a squeezing together

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.

Hamza Imtiaz, an engineer at semiconductor design firm Semidynamics, acknowledged some awkwardness when it came to anchoring someone from the opposite gender but none when helping hoist the boss.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 2026

Hamza al-Afghani, a young Palestinian, spoke of an "indescribable joy".

From Barron's • Apr. 9, 2026

“She didn’t want you to be able to identify with him. She wanted the emphasis on Little Sorrel rather than the myth of the man,” Hamza Walker explained of Kara Walker’s intentions.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 24, 2026

Dr Hamza Usman also found himself struggling to deal with payroll issues.

From BBC • Feb. 16, 2026

“I want to go to the souq with Hamza again. I want to go to university. To open my own Kurdish pharmacy. But I’m afraid, Baba. I’m afraid to be a soldier.”

From "Without Refuge" by Jane Mitchell

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023