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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

Local media said it happened as patrons queued to enter a hookah and cigar lounge.

From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2024

He also wrote of the better memories before the massacre, including his vivid image of Mr. Anwar’s father, Bashir Ahmad, smoking his hookah in the courtyard.

From New York Times ● Aug. 14, 2022

I glance at the end of the booth and see hookah sets, golden swords, and blown-up black-and-white harem pictures from some previous era propped against, yes, camel bridles.

From "Saints and Misfits" by S.K. Ali

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

It was a warm day in mid-September when Ponomorev and Voronenkov sat on the terrace of Korona, a restaurant in Kiev with white tablecloths, expensive crystalware and hookahs.

From New York Times ● Feb. 5, 2019

Other servants maintained the fires in the hookahs.

From "The Alchemist" by Paulo Coelho

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