noun

kebab

kih-BAB

Kebab (noun) means Meat, fish, or vegetables cooked on a skewer or spit, including the sliced-off-a-spit "doner" style sold in flatbread. Example: “We grabbed a kebab from the van after the pub closed.”

noun

Meat, fish, or vegetables cooked on a skewer or spit, including the sliced-off-a-spit "doner" style sold in flatbread.

"We grabbed a kebab from the van after the pub closed."

"She grilled lamb kebabs on the barbecue."

A takeaway shop that sells kebabs.

"There's a kebab on the corner that's open till 3am."

In computing, an icon of three stacked dots that opens a menu (informally, from its resemblance to food on a skewer).

"Tap the kebab icon in the top corner to see more options."

How to use kebab

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishSkewered or spit-roasted meat (or the shop/van that sells it) — in the UK, often shorthand for a late-night doner kebab.

When to use it

The three-dot menu icon sense is casual tech slang, not standard usage.

Common pairings

doner kebab shish kebab kebab shop kebab van

Word forms

kebabbed past tense, kebabs plural, kebabs singular

Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Flow — saved to your collection.

Test yourself on “kebab” A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage →

Fill the gap

Can you complete this real example?

We grabbed a _____ from the van after the pub closed.

Etymology

From Arabic kabāb, reaching English partly via Turkish, Persian, and Urdu.

Origin: Arabic

Synonyms

View more →

kabob shish kebab

Frequently asked questions

What does “kebab” mean?

The word “kebab” means meat, fish, or vegetables cooked on a skewer or spit, including the sliced-off-a-spit "doner" style sold in flatbread. In plain terms, skewered or spit-roasted meat (or the shop/van that sells it) — in the UK, often shorthand for a late-night doner kebab.

How do you pronounce “kebab”?

“Kebab” is pronounced kih-BAB (/kɪˈbɑb/ in IPA).

How do you use “kebab” in a sentence?

Here is “kebab” used in a sentence: “We grabbed a kebab from the van after the pub closed.”

What part of speech is “kebab”?

“Kebab” is a noun.

Where does the word “kebab” come from?

The word “kebab” comes from Arabic. From Arabic kabāb, reaching English partly via Turkish, Persian, and Urdu.

How many meanings does “kebab” have?

“Kebab” has 3 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: meat, fish, or vegetables cooked on a skewer or spit, including the sliced-off-a-spit "doner" style sold in flatbread.

Featured in

Vocabulary lists that include kebab:

Words with Arabic origins Words that end with B