turban
Americannoun
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a man's headdress worn chiefly by Muslims in southern Asia, consisting of a long cloth of silk, linen, cotton, etc., wound either about a cap or directly around the head.
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any headdress resembling this.
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any of various off-the-face hats for women that are close-fitting, of a soft fabric, and brimless, or that have a narrow, sometimes draped, brim.
noun
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a man's headdress, worn esp by Muslims, Hindus, and Sikhs, made by swathing a length of linen, silk, etc, around the head or around a caplike base
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a woman's brimless hat resembling this
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any headdress resembling this
Other Word Forms
- turban-like adjective
- turbaned adjective
- turbanless adjective
- turbanlike adjective
- unturbaned adjective
Etymology
Origin of turban
1555–65; earlier torbant, variant of tulbant < Turkish tülbent < Persian dulband
Explanation
A turban is a long scarf that's wrapped many times around a person's head. Men who are Sikh or Muslim traditionally wear turbans. There is a smaller woman's hat also called a turban that's styled after the traditional turban. Sikhs are the most common wearers of turbans, including some sikh women (although theirs are usually called a Dahtar). Turbans cover long hair and help keep it clean, as well as representing a proud Sikh identity. In Islam, different types of turbans represent different beliefs or social statuses. Turban comes from a Persian root, dulband.
Vocabulary lists containing turban
Put a Lid On It: Hats, Hoods, and Other Headgear
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The Bridge Home
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for November 13–November 19, 2021
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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.
He studied in a seminary in Qom after his service with the Revolutionary Guard and wears the black turban of a sayyid, indicating that he traces his lineage to the prophet Muhammad.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 9, 2026
Mojtaba Khamenei, a cleric who has a salt-and-pepper beard and the black turban of the "seyyed" -- descendants of the Prophet Mohammed -- is a veteran of the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s.
From Barron's • Mar. 8, 2026
Now 74, with a white beard and whiter turban, Ravinder is facing the possibility that he might be the last in that line.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 25, 2025
The new video shows Mr Sandhu, who's wearing a blue turban, walk up to Mr Ramesh and guide him to safety.
From BBC • Jun. 18, 2025
Sweat soaked the edges of his turban, the colors cycling in rapid succession.
From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton
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.
