hummus

American  

[huhm-uhs] / ˈhʌm əs /

Sometimes hommos

noun

Middle Eastern Cooking.

1. a paste or dip made of chickpeas mashed with oil, garlic, lemon juice, and tahini and usually eaten with pita.

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hummus British  

/ ˈhʊməs /

noun

1. a creamy dip originating in the Middle East, made from puréed chickpeas, tahina, etc

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Commonly Confused

See humus

Etymology

Origin of hummus

First recorded in 1950–55; from Turkish humus “mashed chickpeas,” or from Arabic ḥummuṣ, ḥəmmoṣ “chickpeas”

Compare meaning

How does hummus compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• humus vs. hummus

Explanation

Hummus is a Middle Eastern food made of mashed chickpeas. If you want a delicious and healthy lunch, try hummus stuffed in a whole wheat pita with tomatoes, cucumber, and grilled eggplant. There are many varieties of hummus, but the classic recipe includes sesame paste (also called tahini), chickpeas, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, and salt. Hummus is sometimes served as a dip with pita or as a spread inside a sandwich. While it originated in the Middle East, hummus is common all over the world today. Its full Arabic name is ḥummuṣ bi ṭaḥīna, or "chickpeas with tahini."

Example Sentences

She also put up LED lights and brought her own shower and a cooler, which she "filled with drinks and snacks like hummus and salsa".

From BBC • Apr. 17, 2026

The table fills with supermarket vegetables, tubs of hummus, bags of chips, brownies purchased at the last minute.

From Salon • Mar. 15, 2026

Sunday nights: an apartment overlooking the Pacific, Manchego and hummus, then down to the rec room for ping-pong.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 6, 2026

The hostess usually puts on a nice spread: dips, fresh bread, cuts of ham and beef, Christmas tree-shaped chips with hummus and salsa cruda, mince pies, chocolate squares, etc.

From MarketWatch • Dec. 24, 2025

They ordered hummus, which came swirled with sprigs of parsley for garnish.

From "Habibi" by Naomi Shihab Nye