naan

American  

[nahn] / nɑn /

Sometimes nan

noun

• naans
  plural

1. a leavened, often tear-shaped flatbread from South Asia, baked in a tandoor.

2. Sometimes non any of various leavened, oven-baked flatbreads from Central and Southeast Asia.

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naan British  

/ nɑːn /

noun

1. another name for nan bread

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• naans
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of naan

First recorded in 1820–30; from Hindi, Urdu nān, from Persian nān

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Explanation

Naan is a slightly puffy flatbread. Be sure to order some extra naan when you get takeout from your favorite Indian restaurant! Naan comes from the Persian nān, "bread" or "food." This leavened flatbread is typically pulled into in a long oval or teardrop shape and cooked on a grill or in a clay oven. You can find this kind of bread in many parts of the world, but it plays an especially large role in the food of the Indian subcontinent. Naan is commonly used to scoop up curries and stews and is sometimes baked with savory fillings.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

naan naans

Order a blue spirulina-coconut whip or try some street-food mashups, like Nashville Hot tacos and naan nachos.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026

You can even eat it as a spread on naan.

From Salon ● Mar. 28, 2026

Fragrant basmati rice and a generous basket of naan rounded out the meal.

From Salon ● Mar. 7, 2026

Also on the list was aloo naan - made by stuffing the naan with potatoes seasoned with spices and coriander.

From BBC ● Dec. 29, 2025

I point to Zayd, who is sitting in front of a plate of plain rice with some naan on the side.

From "Zara’s Rules for Record-Breaking Fun" by Hena Khan

Amir Khusrau, an Indo-Persian poet who documented courtly life during the reign of Alauddin Khalji and Muhammad Bin Tughlaq, mentioned two types of naans in his writings - naan-e-tanuk and naan-i-tanuri.

From BBC ● Dec. 29, 2025

The trend spread like wildfire and today, restaurants across the world are serving experimental naans stuffed and sprinkled with a variety of food items.

From BBC ● Dec. 29, 2025

While the 4-ounce naans are a bit smaller than traditional Pakistani versions, the bakery makes plain sesame and garlic-flavored versions like Sandhu grew up eating.

From Washington Times ● Nov. 28, 2015

Steve Johnson, a frequent patron, has brought a first-timer to sample “the usual”: tandoori chicken and seekh kababs downed with airy naans.

From New York Times ● Dec. 1, 2011

"They're enormous, some of those naans," Warne said admiringly.

From The Guardian ● Aug. 1, 2010

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