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Hindu

American  
[hin-doo] / ˈhɪn du /
Or Hindoo

noun

Hindus plural
  1. a person, especially of northern India, who adheres to Hinduism.


adjective

  1. of or relating to Hindus or Hinduism.

Hindu British  
/ hɪnˈduː, ˈhɪnduː /

noun

  1. a person who adheres to Hinduism

  2. an inhabitant or native of Hindustan or India, esp one adhering to Hinduism

"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

adjective

  1. relating to Hinduism, Hindus, or India

"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

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Nouns

Etymology

Origin of Hindu

1655–65; < Persian Hindū Indian (adj., noun), equivalent to Hind ( see Hindi) + adj. suffix

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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.

See Examples For:

In May, the Hindu nationalist BJP ousted the regional Trinamool Congress in West Bengal, ending its nearly 16-year rule in the Bangladesh-bordering state.

From BBC Jul. 6, 2026

Since Modi came to power numerous Hindu, Buddhist, Jain and Sikh places of worship have undergone extensive renovation, as have holy sites such as Varanasi, Sarnath and Bodh Gaya.

From Barron's Jun. 25, 2026

As the story piles up coincidences—or “synchronicities,” to use the Jungian term Shoma favors—it increasingly aligns with Hindu mysticism.

From The Wall Street Journal Jun. 11, 2026

Bengal was divided along religious lines into predominantly Hindu West Bengal, which became part of India, and Muslim-majority East Pakistan, later becoming Bangladesh.

From Barron's May 29, 2026

The very word zero smacks of its Hindu and Arabic roots.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife

Khan hit back in a newspaper interview, saying that Trafalgar Square had hosted public events for Christians, Hindus and Sikhs.

From BBC Mar. 19, 2026

Four members of minority communities won seats, including two Hindus -- a population that makes up roughly seven percent in Muslim-majority Bangladesh.

From Barron's Feb. 17, 2026

Baba is a commonly used term in India to refer to mystics and religious gurus and also to fathers or grandfathers by both Hindus and Muslims.

From BBC Feb. 12, 2026

Hindus made up 14.6  percent of Bangladesh's population after independence in 1971, but their share has declined sharply to less than 10 percent in the officially secular country.

From Barron's Feb. 11, 2026

The Aristotelian wall was crumbling, thanks to the influence of the Muslims and the Hindus, and by the 1400s even the staunchest European supporters of Aristotelianism had their doubts.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife

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