Taliban Definition & Meaning

American

British

Etymology

Examples

Taliban American [tal-uh-ban] / ˈtæl əˌbæn /

noun

1. a Muslim fundamentalist group in Afghanistan.

Taliban British / ˈtælɪbæn /

noun

1. (in Afghanistan) a fundamentalist Islamic army: in 1996 it defeated the ruling mujaheddin factions and seized control of the country; overthrown in 2001 by US-led forces, although reistance continues, esp in the south

"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 Taliban

C20: from Arabic tāliban seekers

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.

Margherita was part of a reporting team whose coverage of the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan was a 2022 Pulitzer Prize finalist in international reporting.

From The Wall Street Journal

Since the Taliban authorities returned to power in 2021 and imposed their strict interpretation of Islamic law, many artists have left Afghanistan.

From Barron's

"We no longer have the end-of-month stress about the rent," he told AFP after getting his house, which was financed by the UN refugee agency on land provided by the Taliban authorities.

From Barron's

Turkey began building a concrete wall in 2021 as concerns grew about a potential influx of migrants following the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan.

From Barron's

In October 2001 the US invaded Afghanistan to oust the Taliban, whom they said were harbouring Osama Bin Laden and other al-Qaeda figures linked to the 9/11 attacks the previous month.

From BBC

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.