iftar

noun

if·​tar ˈif-ˌtär How to pronounce iftar (audio)
plural iftars
: a meal taken by Muslims at sundown to break the daily fast during Ramadan
When we returned to Alexandria, in the late afternoon, the streets were deserted. It was the holy month of Ramadan. Most people had rushed home for the iftar, the breaking of the fast that lasts from sunrise to sunset.Amos Elon
Most of the time, iftars are family gatherings, held in homes or mosques during the holy month of Ramadan as people sit down to break the daily fast.The Arab American News

Examples of iftar in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
After iftar, the evening meal that breaks their daytime fast, families gather to watch their picks from the year’s crop of soap operas and political and historical dramas, snacking on sweets and nuts and drinking tea and coffee until late into the night. ABC News, 23 Feb. 2026 The iftars, followed by tea and coffee meetings and tarawih prayers, brought us together with people from almost every nation. Yunus Emre Tozal, Chicago Tribune, 23 Feb. 2026 On Thursday evening, families sat amid the rubble and destruction for iftar, the meal held at the end of the daily dawn-to-dusk fast. Sam Mednick, Los Angeles Times, 20 Feb. 2026 Suhoor is the pre-dawn meal, which sets you up for the day ahead, and iftar is the evening meal, eaten after sunset to break the day’s fast. Devinder Bains, Vogue, 20 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for iftar

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Arabic ifṭār, noun of action from aftara "to break a fast," derivative of faṭara "to break, split"

First Known Use

1832, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of iftar was in 1832

Cite this Entry

“Iftar.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/iftar. Accessed 28 Feb. 2026.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster