hummus
Americannoun
noun
Commonly Confused
See humus
Etymology
Origin of hummus
First recorded in 1950–55; from Turkish humus “mashed chickpeas,” or from Arabic ḥummuṣ, ḥəmmoṣ “chickpeas”
Compare meaning
How does hummus compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
Hummus is a Middle Eastern food made of mashed chickpeas. If you want a delicious and healthy lunch, try hummus stuffed in a whole wheat pita with tomatoes, cucumber, and grilled eggplant. There are many varieties of hummus, but the classic recipe includes sesame paste (also called tahini), chickpeas, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, and salt. Hummus is sometimes served as a dip with pita or as a spread inside a sandwich. While it originated in the Middle East, hummus is common all over the world today. Its full Arabic name is ḥummuṣ bi ṭaḥīna, or "chickpeas with tahini."
Vocabulary lists containing hummus
English Food and Drink Words Derived from Arabic
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World Cuisine - Introductory
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World Cuisine - Middle School and High School
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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.
Something like: We’ll provide drinks, baklava and some hand-rolled dolmas and fresh hummus.
From Salon • Mar. 15, 2026
Sunday nights: an apartment overlooking the Pacific, Manchego and hummus, then down to the rec room for ping-pong.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 6, 2026
The hostess usually puts on a nice spread: dips, fresh bread, cuts of ham and beef, Christmas tree-shaped chips with hummus and salsa cruda, mince pies, chocolate squares, etc.
From MarketWatch • Dec. 24, 2025
I continued the hands-on theme nearby at chef Michael Solomonov’s Aviv, tearing and dragging flatbread through warm, butter-enriched hummus.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 6, 2025
The table filled up with olives, purple marinated turnips, plates of baba ghanouj and hummus, and hot flat breads, even before the real lunch came.
From "Habibi" by Naomi Shihab Nye
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.
