hijab

noun

hi·​jab hē-ˈjäb 

-ˈjab

1

plural hijabs : a covering for the hair and neck that is worn by some Muslim women

The website offers Muslim women an array of hijabs for every occasion—including sports—without skimping on quality, comfort, or modest principles.

—Sara Holzman

While Muslim women wear hijabs to show modesty and piety, every woman has her own reason for wearing a hijab, but Mohammad Zal said many people mistake these reasons for coercion.

—Christine Fernando

… women are burning their headscarves in the street. … They don't object to the hijab itself; they object to not having the right to choose whether to wear it.

—Roya Hakakian

… as part of a controversial decade-long effort to curb the public expression of religion, the French Senate voted 160-143 Tuesday in favor of a bill seeking to amend its national Sports Code to ban athletes from wearing religious symbols, such as hijabs … at sports competitions, public swimming pools, and bathing areas.

—Ananya Upadhya

The dispute began … at a college preparatory school for girls in Udupi, a city in southwestern Karnataka, when teachers there barred several Muslim students from entering their classrooms while wearing hijabs.

—Sameer Yasir

2

: a set of principles and practices in Islam relating to modesty and morality and especially to covering oneself (as by wearing a hijab)

"… hijab is not just about outer appearances; it is also about noble speech, dignified and righteous conduct, and modesty. …"

—brochure, quoted in The Houston Chronicle

"Since a majority of my clients are Muslim, some will be observing hijab, which is a religious observance, usually interpreted by wearing a headscarf and dressing modestly. …"

—Fatin Jarara

Farooqi and others are dressed in classic American volunteer attire—yellow T-shirts emblazoned with a logo—but the men also wear … skullcaps and the women observe hijab, covering their hair and necks with scarves.

—Harry Bruinius

Examples of hijab in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples include a husband having the legal right to restrict his wife’s travel and employment, unequal divorce rights and punishment for appearing in public without a hijab ranging from fines to prison time to flogging. —Ellie Austin, Fortune, 21 Jan. 2026

Fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad was the first US athlete to compete in a hijab at the Olympic Games. —Alexandra Banner, CNN Money, 21 Jan. 2026

Smoking in public is considered immodest, and women are legally required to wear hijabs. —Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 19 Jan. 2026

Earlier protests demonstrated many Iranians’ opposition to the theocracy’s hard-line ideology, its insistence on the hijab, its control of media and education, its general brutality. —David Remnick, New Yorker, 11 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Arabic ḥijāb cover, screen, veil

First Known Use

1885, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for hijab

• ahab
• cantab
• prefab
• ab
• cab
• crab
• dab
• drab
• fab
• gab
• grab
• jab