First recorded in 1615–25; from Arabic qur'ān “reading, recitation,” from qara'a “to read, recite”
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who took his oath of office on a Quran, has become the new face of American leftist politics.
From Barron's ● Sep. 4, 2026
In the wholesale markets of Yiwu, the Chinese city known for supplying the world with inexpensive goods, buyers can find prayer rugs, Quran stands, modest clothing, Ramadan lanterns and crescent-shaped decorations.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 12, 2026
The Congress government tried again in 2018, expanding the proposal to cover other sacred texts, including the Bhagavad Gita, the Quran and the Bible.
From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026
Shahabi was born into a deeply religious Muslim family and served as a Quran teacher in Iran.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 4, 2026
It’s a Quran that Thaya Jaan gave me—the one he read from when he was a boy.
From "Amina's Song" by Hena Khan
It’s something that Muslims do the world over, in line with the teachings of the Qur'an, Islam’s holy book.
From BBC ● Feb. 25, 2024
A double-page spread from a Qur’an, handwritten on blush-pink paper, is in Arabic.
From New York Times ● Feb. 3, 2022
Later that day, after returning from a shower, McAvoy entered his cell to find the Qur'an, a packet of Weetabix and some UHT milk on his bed.
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2020
He had fled for his life from Afghanistan after accidentally damaging a Qur’an.
From The Guardian ● Aug. 3, 2020
“His parents are like, finally! Farooq finished memorizing the Qur’an two years ago, you know. We don’t get why your uncle took so long to ask him.”
From "Saints and Misfits" by S.K. Ali
The students walk to these schools carrying Qurans.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 25, 2023
“This applies both to the burning of Qurans and other religious symbols. It has no other purpose than to provoke and create division.”
From Washington Times ● Jul. 22, 2023
At his headquarters, the Islamic Cultural Center of Lviv, a display case exhibits faded old Qurans carried by Crimean Tatars, Muslims who were forcibly deported in 1944 during a Soviet ethnic cleansing campaign.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 28, 2022
On arrival they found texts which included early Qurans and some with diverse topics including astronomy, maths and geography.
From BBC ● Mar. 10, 2022
“But there are Qurans here in your home.”
From "Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Changed the World" by Malala Yousafzai
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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.
