Taliban

plural noun

Tal·​i·​ban ˈtä-li-bän How to pronounce Taliban (audio)
ˈta-li-ˌban
: a fundamentalist Islamic militia in Afghanistan

Examples of Taliban in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Russia was an ally of Syria's government in the war against ISIS and Moscow has developed closer ties to the Taliban in Afghanistan, angering ISIS leaders. Brian Mann, NPR, 24 Mar. 2024 Its fighters have repeatedly carried out attacks in Afghanistan since the Taliban seized power in 2021. Vanessa Gera, The Christian Science Monitor, 23 Mar. 2024 The legislation also provides an additional 12,000 special immigrant visas for Afghans who assisted the U.S. military and are attempting to escape the Taliban government. Jacob Bogage, Washington Post, 23 Mar. 2024 The Taliban ultimately claimed to have succeeded in killing the ISIS-K terrorist responsible for directing the attack. Peter Aitken, Fox News, 23 Mar. 2024 While the return of the Taliban means opium production in Afghanistan has plummeted by 95%, poppy cultivation in Myanmar more than doubled in 2022 and continued to grow last year. TIME, 21 Mar. 2024 Some winds up at the central bank of Afghanistan, which is under the control of the Taliban. T. Christian Miller, ProPublica, 20 Mar. 2024 The Taliban became the controlling power in Afghanistan in 2021 after the United States’ chaotic, controversial withdrawal from the country after nearly 20 years of fighting. Ben Morse, CNN, 20 Mar. 2024 That smaller force was not adequate to keeping Bagram, which was quickly taken over by the Taliban. Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 20 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'Taliban.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Pashto & Persian ṭālibān, plural of ṭālib student, seeker, from Arabic

First Known Use

1992, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Taliban was in 1992

Dictionary Entries Near Taliban

Cite this Entry

“Taliban.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Taliban. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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