hummus
Americannoun
-
hummuses
plural
noun
Commonly Confused
See humus
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of hummus
First recorded in 1950–55; from Turkish humus “mashed chickpeas,” or from Arabic ḥummuṣ, ḥəmmoṣ “chickpeas”
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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.
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Falafel and hummus, with varying recipes and consistencies, flow freely across countries of several faiths and backgrounds, while pizza bagels are a frozen food staple and challah French toast is seemingly everywhere.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
The menu centers on ultra-creamy hummus bowls served with pillowy pita puffs and topped with everything from falafel to Wagyu shawarma.
From Salon ● Jun. 11, 2026
I need my organic eggs, my strawberries, my lemons, my lemongrass, my hummus and my ghee.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 22, 2026
She also put up LED lights and brought her own shower and a cooler, which she "filled with drinks and snacks like hummus and salsa".
From BBC ● Apr. 17, 2026
June’s mom set them up with all kinds of weird snacks like green bean chips and baby carrots with hummus and vegan carob-chip cookies.
From "Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World" by Ashley Herring Blake
From hummuses and spreads to cheeses and vegan offerings, I've pretty much sampled them all.
From Salon ● Apr. 14, 2021
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
