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Nakba

American  
[nok-buh, nak-bah] / ˈnɒk bə, ˈnæk bɑ /

noun

  1. the mass expulsion and dispossession of Palestinians from the partitioned state of Palestine by Jewish militia and Israeli military forces between 1947 and 1949.

Etymology

Origin of Nakba

First recorded in 1960–65; from Arabic: literally, “catastrophe, disaster”

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

A majority of the population of the modern-day Gaza Strip descended from refugees of the Nakba.

From Salon • Nov. 30, 2025

May 15 marks the 77th anniversary of the Nakba.

From Los Angeles Times • May 13, 2025

As a journalist, I cover the Nakba anniversary every year.

From Slate • Feb. 6, 2025

The Nakba came to define modern Palestinian identity, and yet for many Palestinians, it is not part of the past, but still unfolding.

From Salon • May 26, 2024

The key has become a symbol for her — of the home lost during the Nakba and her inability to return.

From Seattle Times • May 15, 2024

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.