jihad

noun

ji·​had ji-ˈhäd How to pronounce jihad (audio)
 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
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
The decision to disband the organization, said Jones, was likely driven by several factors, including the influence of intellectuals within JI who were less interested in violent jihad, and a cost-benefit analysis on the best way to protect the group’s biggest assets – its schools. Reuters, CNN, 5 July 2024 Thinking of modern jihad as simply a cultural extension of Islam is a common, and unfortunate, mistake. Foreign Affairs, 10 June 2024 Their scholars justified killing captives and civilians as necessary and legitimate in the jihad against foreign occupation. Matthieu Aikins Victor J. Blue Peter Ganim Krish Seenivasan Steven Szczesniak, New York Times, 22 May 2024 Law enforcement also found 50 files, mostly audio files of chants and songs, celebrating the conquests of the Islamic State and the need for jihad. Ben Brasch, Washington Post, 9 Apr. 2024 See all Example Sentences for jihad 

Word History

Etymology

Arabic jihād

First Known Use

1837, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of jihad was in 1837

Dictionary Entries Near jihad

Cite this Entry

“Jihad.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jihad. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

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