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Showing results for tahini. Search instead for tahina.

tahini

American  
[tuh-hee-nee, tah-] / təˈhi ni, tɑ- /

noun

Middle Eastern Cooking.

  1. a paste made of ground sesame seeds.

tahini British  
/ təˈhiːnɪ, təˈhiːnə /

noun

  1. a paste made from sesame seeds originating in the Middle East, often used as an ingredient of hummus and other dips

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of tahini

First recorded in 1895–1900; Levantine Arabic ṭaḥīni (standard Arabic ṭaḥīna ), derivative of ṭaḥana “to crush, grind”; compare Hebrew tākhan “to crush, grind”

Vocabulary lists containing tahini

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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.

“They take flour, sugar, oil, tahini, and then they go and sell them to the starving people at astronomical prices!” he later wrote on Facebook.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 18, 2025

The GHF has said these boxes also contain some ready-to-eat food, like halva bars - a popular snack made from blending tahini or sesame paste and sugar.

From BBC • Jul. 25, 2025

It’s built on tahini, lemon juice, miso, maple syrup and water, punched up with spices.

From Salon • Jun. 1, 2025

I’m talking miso-spiked tahini blends from the Bon Appétit test kitchen.

From Salon • Jun. 1, 2025

If you're on TikTok, you will have seen the bar, which combines the flavours of chocolate, pistachio and tahini with filo pastry, and is inspired by the Arab dessert Knafeh.

From BBC • Apr. 11, 2025

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.