mosque
Americannoun
-
mosques
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of mosque
1600–10; earlier mosquee < Middle French < Italian moschea ≪ Arabic masjid, derivative of sajada to worship, literally, prostrate oneself; the -ee seems to have been taken as diminutive suffix and dropped
Compare meaning
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Explanation
The mosque is the traditional Muslim place of worship. Architecturally, it often features a minaret, or onion-shaped dome, on top. Mosque stems from the Arabic word masjid, meaning "temple" or "place of worship." This building is very important religiously and politically, and can be a modest structure or an architectural masterpiece, such as the Great Mosque of Córdoba in Spain. Muslims, or practitioners of Islam, come together here and pray in rows facing in the direction of the holy city of Mecca.
Vocabulary lists containing mosque
World Religions
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The Middle East and Central Asia - Introductory
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The Middle East and Central Asia - Middle 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.
See Examples For:
Mohsen enlists a cleric at the local mosque to help fund-raise, but the results are meager.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
He came from a modest background: His father was a schoolteacher and an imam at a local mosque.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
"One of the storage facilities had been established inside a mosque in the northern Gaza Strip," it added, saying advance warnings were given to civilians.
From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026
On the hill above them, the local mosque was calling on people to help the family trapped by the settlers.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
When she first moved here, Saint Sarah surveyed the older women at the mosque to see what their areas of expertise were.
From "Saints and Misfits" by S.K. Ali
He blended into the crowd, grew his beard, attended the mosques where the killers preached, listened, questioned, checked rumors.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
Local residents told the BBC several mosques were simultaneously targeted during prayers.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
Agents with their faces covered up to their eyes, in unmarked black SUVs with tinted windows, would wait outside churches, mosques, schools, daycares, courtrooms, and hospitals.
From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026
The Islamic Center of San Diego is one of the largest mosques in San Diego and attracts worshippers from across the region.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 19, 2026
There are Muslim schools, stores, restaurants, and of course mosques.
From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad
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.
