Hussein

American

[hoo-seyn] / hʊˈseɪn /

noun

Also Hosein; Husain al-Husayn, a.d. 629?–680, Arabian caliph, the son of Ali and Fatima and the brother of Hasan.
Saddam at-Takriti, 1937–2006, Iraqi political leader: president 1979–2003.

Hussein British

/ hʊˈseɪn /

noun

Also: Husain. 1935–99, king of Jordan (1952–99)
Saddam (sæˈdæm). 1937–2006, Iraqi politician: president (1979–2003) and prime minister (1994–2003) of Iraq. He led Iraq into the Iran-Iraq War (1980–88) and the Gulf War (1991) but was deposed and captured in the US-led invasion of 2003; executed 2006

"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

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.

“There are a lot of politics around the Persian origin,” said Al Hussein, who is Emirati of ancestral Persian origin.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

More recently, a statue of Saddam Hussein famously met the same fate.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026

In Iraq, Saddam Hussein built dozens of palaces for top-level Bath party officials, Republican Guard leadership, and members of his family and inner circle.

From Salon • Mar. 24, 2026

Hussein Duwaima, whose original clothes shop was destroyed, said life was coming back "gradually" in Gaza and demand has picked up ahead of the holiday as crowds of shoppers pack makeshift markets.

From Barron's • Mar. 17, 2026

It was Saddam Hussein, the king of Iraq, who had done it.

From "Everything Sad Is Untrue" by Daniel Nayeri

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023