shawarma

American

[shuh-wawr-muh] / ʃəˈwɔr mə /

Also shwarma

noun

(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.

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

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Other openings: The Seattle chain Shawarma Time brings its kebabs, falafel and hummus to Bothell.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 6, 2024

"Shawarma is a popular middle-east dish prepared during Ramzan. It is nothing but, thinly sliced chicken or mutton, wrapped in a pita bread with veggies and sauce," explains Sohana Saiyed, a reporting specialist for Schoolhouse.

From Salon • Mar. 5, 2022

"You couldn't really have Avenger's Campus without the Shawarma Palace," State explained.

From Fox News • Jun. 3, 2021

Other food spots will also directly reference the films; see The Shawarma Palace cart, a nod to a beloved “Avengers” post-credits scene.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 11, 2020

But New Yorkers, I hope, will forever know it as the Shawarma.

From Slate • Mar. 19, 2019

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023