jihad

noun

ji·​had ji-ˈhäd 

chiefly British -ˈhad

variants or less commonly jehad

1

: a holy war waged on behalf of Islam as a religious duty

also : a personal struggle in devotion to Islam especially involving spiritual discipline

2

: a crusade for a principle or belief

Examples of jihad in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Yet, somehow, the labels jihad, holy war and suicide martyrs are still thrown around. — Reshma Memon Yaqub, Rolling Stone, 11 Sep. 2026

In Iraq, the faction earned rebukes from clerics who had previously supported global jihad as well as from more mainstream religious leaders. — Daniel Byman, Foreign Affairs, 8 Sep. 2026

Half of the content was about communal tensions between Hindus and Muslims—this jihad and that jihad. — Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2026

On March 9, Al-Saadi allegedly posted a message on his Telegram account with the logo of Ashab al-Yamin, calling on warriors of Islam to engage in jihad, the FBI said. — Louis Casiano , Jasmine Baehr, FOXNews.com, 15 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

Arabic jihād

First Known Use

1837, in the meaning defined at sense 1