kebab

American  

[kuh-bob] / kəˈbɒb /

Also kebob, or kabob

noun

kebabs plural

1. Usually kebabs small pieces of meat or seafood seasoned or marinated and broiled, often with tomatoes, green peppers, onions, or other vegetables, usually on a skewer.

2. (in Indian English use) roast meat.

3. Digital Technology. kebab menu.

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kebab British  

/ kəˈbæb /

noun

1. Also called: shish kebab.   kabob.   cabob.  a dish consisting of small pieces of meat, tomatoes, onions, etc, threaded onto skewers and grilled, generally over charcoal

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• kebabs
  plural

Etymology

Origin of kebab

First recorded in 1665–75; from Arabic, from Hindi kabāb, from Turkish kebap “roast meat”

Explanation

A kebab is a dish of vegetables, meat, or seafood cut into pieces, skewered, and cooked on a grill. On the first day of summer, your family might like to cook kebabs and have all the neighbors over. In the U.S., a kebab is generally understood to be a shish kebab — marinated cubes of meat alternating with chunks of onion, green pepper, or other veggies on a long skewer and cooked over a fire. English speakers outside of North America are more familiar with the doner kebab, a sandwich similar to a gyro or shawarma, with sliced meat served in a flatbread. The Arabic root word, kabāb, means "roasted meat."

Example Sentences

The Kebab Shop is fully cooperating with public health officials and voluntarily paused sales of grilled beef kofta at all locations on May 18, according to a statement from the company.

From Los Angeles Times • May 31, 2026

The Kebab Shop does not comment on pending litigation, according to the statement.

From Los Angeles Times • May 31, 2026

At a decades-old Iranian restaurant in Dubai, Al Ustad Special Kebab, owner Majeed Ansari said he understands the U.A.E. government’s tightening restrictions.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

Later in a German Doner Kebab restaurant in East Ham, the baby girl can be seen moving her arms while Ms Marten assembles a buggy that Mark Gordon had just bought in Argos.

From BBC • Jan. 30, 2024

Another is painted in red, white, and blue stripes with La Casita written across the side, and a third has Kebab Express in green block letters.

From "The Sky at Our Feet" by Nadia Hashimi