shawarma

American  

[shuh-wawr-muh] / ʃəˈwɔr mə /

Also shwarma

noun

1. (in Middle Eastern cuisine)

   1. roasted meat, as lamb or beef, cooked on a spit.

   2. a dish consisting of this meat, served wrapped in pita bread with tahini or hummus.

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Etymology

Origin of shawarma

1950–55; < Levantine Arabic shāwurma, shāwirma, from Turkish çevirme “turn, rotation, meat roasted on a spit,” from çevirmek “to turn, rotate”

Example Sentences

Five stories up, in a sunny event space tucked away in New York City's Little Italy earlier this month, chefs had been busy preparing chicken lo mein noodles, empanadas, and shawarma.

From Salon • Jan. 30, 2025

“I know my house is bombed, but I don’t care. We’re all going back,” said Haidar, 33, who was picking up shawarma sandwiches for his family at a roadside restaurant.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 27, 2024

“Many were not here in 2015. You have falafel, shawarma - many shops for Syrian food. It was a comfortable, safe place for Syrians…” But now the mood is darkening.

From BBC • Nov. 20, 2024

But behind the produce section is a massive brick oven flanked by a full rotisserie grill complete with chickens whirling and two spinning towers of meat: glistening chicken and beef shawarma.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 6, 2023

He’d barely avoided disaster with the damn shawarma; God knew what would happen if he messed this up.

From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny