headscarf

noun

head·​scarf ˈhed-ˌskärf How to pronounce headscarf (audio)
plural headscarves ˈhed-ˌskärvz How to pronounce headscarf (audio) also headscarfs
: a fabric covering for the head worn especially by women
… young, well-educated European Muslim women who wear the headscarf as a conscious, articulate choice …Timothy Garton Ash
The stereotypical fortuneteller, a wizened old woman in a fringed headscarf hunched over a crystal ball …Louise Erdich
The US Justice Department, for example, has supported the right of Muslim girls to wear headscarves in public schools.Robert O. Paxton

Examples of headscarf in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The Taliban-run government has banned music in videos and mandated that female presenters wear a headscarf and a mask over their mouth for modesty, several content creators said. Rick Noack, Washington Post, 9 Mar. 2024 In the video, Union wore a silky pajama short set paired with a headscarf and a bold footwear combo, knee-high socks and open-toe shoes. Jackie Fields, Peoplemag, 25 Feb. 2024 News of her death triggered an astonishing social uprising, with women burning their headscarves on the street and many voicing calls not simply for reform of the regime, but for a wholesale defenestration of the ruling clerics. Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 3 Mar. 2024 Security camera footage from the hospital showed about a dozen undercover forces wearing Muslim headscarves, hospital scrubs or white doctor’s coats. NBC News, 1 Feb. 2024 One was disguised as a woman in a headscarf and holding a bundle meant to look like a baby. Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 2 Feb. 2024 With the sharp winter wind whipping at our faces, my sister-in-law covered her children’s faces with a headscarf while my mother sobbed. Ghada Abdulfattah, The Christian Science Monitor, 10 Jan. 2024 Donkeys hauling carts plodded along dusty streets, and schoolgirls in headscarves and long, old-fashioned coats huddled to gossip. Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 20 Nov. 2023 Amini was arrested for allegedly not wearing her headscarf properly. Christian Edwards, CNN, 6 Oct. 2023

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

Word History

First Known Use

1688, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of headscarf was in 1688

Dictionary Entries Near headscarf

Cite this Entry

“Headscarf.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/headscarf. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

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