jihad

noun ji·had \ ji-ˈhäd , chiefly British -ˈhad \

variants: or less commonly jehad

Definition of jihad

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

See jihad defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of jihad from the Web

Prosecutors argued that Gregerson deserved a stiff punishment for allegedly plotting jihad on behalf of the Islamic State and stockpiling an arsenal of weapons in his home.

— tresa baldas, Detroit Free Press, "Feds: Detroit 'soldier for Isis' gets 45 months in prison for owning explosives," 30 Aug. 2017
Spain, and specifically Catalonia, has long been known to house groups linked to jihad and terrorism groups.

— esteban duarte, Bloomberg.com, "Terror Attacks Expose Spanish Rift Over Tackling Jihadists," 18 Aug. 2017
The returning trio brought with them a combined century of experience in jihad.

— ali soufan, Newsweek, "Hamza bin Laden, Osama’s Son, Is Helping Al-Qaeda Stage a Deadly Comeback," 19 June 2017
And after a long absence, all three were now involved in global jihad.

— ali soufan, Newsweek, "Hamza bin Laden, Osama’s Son, Is Helping Al-Qaeda Stage a Deadly Comeback," 19 June 2017
While direct state support for jihad is rare these days, indirect aid remains common.

— daniel byman, The Atlantic, "The Danger of Picking Sides in the Qatar Crisis," 16 June 2017
Because Abu Yusaf had long since been radicalized and dedicated himself to a very specific, violent interpretation of jihad.

— steve donoghue, The Christian Science Monitor, "'I Was Told To Come Alone' is one reporter's up-close look at jihad," 14 June 2017
Prosecutors presented evidence at the trial that Pugh traveled from Egypt to Turkey in an attempt to cross into Syria to join ISIS for jihad, the news release says.

— lauren del valle, CNN, "US Air Force vet gets 35 years prison for trying to join ISIS," 31 May 2017
But Hamza bin Laden is not advocating his father's style of jihad.

— joby warrick and souad mekhennet, chicagotribune.com, "Bin Laden’s son steps into father’s shoes as al-Qaeda attempts a comeback," 28 May 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'jihad.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of jihad

Arabic jihād

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First Known Use: 1837

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Other Religion (Eastern and Other) Terms

Zen, antinomian, avatar, gnosticism, illuminati, ineffable, karma, koan, mantra

JIHAD Defined for English Language Learners

jihad

noun

Definition of jihad for English Language Learners

: a war fought by Muslims to defend or spread their beliefs

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See words that rhyme with jihad Nglish: Translation of jihad for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of jihad for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about jihad

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jihad

Definition of jihad

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Origin and Etymology of jihad

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jihad

Definition of jihad for English Language Learners

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