Taliban

plural noun

Tal·​i·​ban ˈtä-li-ˌbän How to pronounce Taliban (audio)
ˈta-li-ˌban
: a fundamentalist Islamic militia in Afghanistan

Examples of Taliban 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 the Taliban reconquered Afghanistan, in 2021, the Biden Administration kept almost thirty thousand Afghan refugees, including children, on military bases for months at a time. Jack Herrera, New Yorker, 23 Apr. 2025 Under that order, Yaser Hamdi, who was an American citizen, was detained in U.S. military facilities without being charged, without legal counsel or the possibility of court hearings after being accused of fighting for the Taliban against the United States. Andrea Seielstad, The Conversation, 22 Apr. 2025 Additional awards in Afghanistan, including awards targeting healthcare, were terminated based on longstanding and credible concerns that U.S. foreign assistance funding was benefiting the Taliban, a Foreign Terrorist Organization. Ted Koppel, CBS News, 20 Apr. 2025 That includes Afghans in Pakistan, such as those who will face persecution by the Taliban because of their Christian faith or because of their service to the U.S. military. Nicholas Creel, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for Taliban

Word History

Etymology

Pashto & Persian ṭālibān, plural of ṭālib student, seeker, from Arabic

First Known Use

1992, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Taliban was in 1992

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Taliban.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Taliban. Accessed 27 Apr. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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