name
Taliban
TA-lih-ban
name
1
A Deobandi Islamist political and military movement founded in Afghanistan in 1994, which has governed the country intermittently since 1996.
"The Taliban took control of Kabul in 1996 and again in 2021."
noun
1
A member of the Taliban movement or its fighters.
"Several former Taliban now hold positions in the government."
How to Use Taliban
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishThe name of an Afghan political and military movement, or one of its members.
Word Forms
Taliban plural, Talibans plural
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The _____ took control of Kabul in 1996 and again in 2021.
Etymology
From Pashto tālibān, meaning "students," the plural of tālib ("seeker" or "student"), itself from Arabic.