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Synonyms

hookah

American  
[hook-uh] / ˈhʊk ə /
Or hooka

noun

hookahs plural
  1. a tobacco pipe of Near Eastern origin with a long, flexible tube by which the smoke is drawn through a jar of water and thus cooled.


hookah British  
/ ˈhʊkə /

noun

  1. Also called: hubble-bubble.   kalian.   narghile.   water pipe.  an oriental pipe for smoking marijuana, tobacco, etc, consisting of one or more long flexible stems connected to a container of water or other liquid through which smoke is drawn and cooled

"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

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of hookah

First recorded in 1755–65, hookah is from the Arabic word ḥuqqah box, vase, pipe for smoking

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:

But a good bet is Zikrayat, which will be showing the games on five big-screen TVs and offering food and hookah specials for the duration.

From The Wall Street Journal Jun. 11, 2026

What’s next, Doncic was a fat, lazy, beer-drinking, hookah smoker feasting on a 77-ounce New York strip steak with a side of the Slovenian specialty of sliced potatoes layered with cheese and heavy cream?

From Los Angeles Times Feb. 27, 2025

“Trust in the police is below zero here,” said Sofiane, 19, who was smoking a hookah with several friends in an alleyway.

From New York Times Jul. 9, 2023

Officers entered the front door of the hookah bar, and Nelson fled out the back, where several other officers and a police dog were waiting.

From Seattle Times May 16, 2023

They sat on low-seated woven stools, a brass hookah between them.

From "Amal Unbound" by Aisha Saeed

Their waiter Amir, who preferred not to share his last name, ferried packed peach-and-pineapple hookahs and tall glasses of pressed watermelon juice from the cafe’s kitchen to the table.

From Los Angeles Times Feb. 28, 2026

In an open-air, bustling café in Nasr City in Cairo, dozens of newly arrived refugees huddle in small groups, puffing on hookahs, sharing stories about their homeland.

From BBC Oct. 26, 2024

The popular pipes, also known as hookahs and narghiles, are often passed between friends, potentially transmitting the virus.

From Washington Post Dec. 31, 2021

In lonely-looking and half-finished towns along the way, the only businesses seem to be coffee shops filled with men smoking hookahs and playing cards.

From Washington Times Apr. 23, 2018

Other servants maintained the fires in the hookahs.

From "The Alchemist" by Paulo Coelho

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