Kaaba

noun

Kaa·​ba ˈkä-bə How to pronounce Kaaba (audio)
: a small stone building in the court of the Great Mosque at Mecca that contains a sacred black stone and is the goal of Islamic pilgrimage and the point toward which Muslims turn in praying

Examples of Kaaba 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.
The Clock Tower is located right next to the Kaaba and dwarfs the sacred structure. — Ahmet T. Kuru, The Conversation, 9 July 2024 Hania Hassan Salama, 65, a homemaker from Egypt, asked her children to draw a mural of the Kaaba on the wall of their house, a tradition in Egypt to announce a pilgrimage. — Magdy Samaan, CNN, 25 June 2024 Even under the hot sun though, prayers at the Kaaba and on the Day of Arafat can offer moments of reflection and inner peace amid the bustling crowd. — Aya Batrawy, NPR, 21 June 2024 The Saudi government attempts to crack down on this undocumented contingent of pilgrims, but tens of thousands of undercover pilgrims manage to visit the Kaaba each year. — Timothy H.j. Nerozzi Fox News, Fox News, 21 June 2024 See All Example Sentences for Kaaba

Word History

Etymology

Arabic kaʽba, literally, cubic building

First Known Use

1734, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Kaaba was in 1734

Rhymes for Kaaba

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Browse Nearby Words

Ka'ala
Kaaba
kaama
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Kaaba.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Kaaba. Accessed 10 Jul. 2026.

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Kids Definition

Kaaba

noun
Kaa·​ba ˈkäb-ə How to pronounce Kaaba (audio)
: a small stone building in the court of the Great Mosque at Mecca that contains a sacred black stone and is the point toward which Muslims turn in praying

More from Merriam-Webster on Kaaba

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about Kaaba

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