Islam
Americannoun
-
the religious faith of Muslims, based on the words and religious system founded by the prophet Muhammad and taught by the Quran, the basic principle of which is absolute submission to a unique and personal god, Allah.
-
the whole body of Muslim believers, their civilization, and the countries in which theirs is the dominant religion.
noun
-
the religion of Muslims, having the Koran as its sacred scripture and teaching that there is only one God and that Mohammed is his prophet; Mohammedanism
-
-
Muslims collectively and their civilization
-
the countries where the Muslim religion is predominant
-
Discover More
Shi'ite and Sunni Muslims make up the two main branches of Islam.
Islam is the dominant faith in Arab nations, a number of countries of central Asia, and Malaysia and Indonesia.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of Islam
First recorded in 1610–20; from Ottoman Turkish islām, from Arabic islām “submission (to God),” from aslama “to surrender, resign oneself, submit oneself (to God's will),” from the Semitic root šlm “to be whole, sound”; akin to Arabic salām and Hebrew shālōm “peace,” from the Semitic noun šalām
Compare meaning
How does islam compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
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.
We must also speak bluntly to those fellow Americans who think Islam is the problem.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
Moyeen Islam, a Barclays fixed-income strategist, last week calculated the tight correlation between U.S. and U.K. 30-year yields since 2023.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 1, 2026
The organization is not, by its own account, teaching girls Islam.
From Salon ● Aug. 28, 2026
Islam Makhachev cemented his status as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world with a commanding victory over Ian Machado Garry to defend his welterweight title at UFC 330 in Philadelphia.
From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026
It was signed Fedayeen of Islam—devotees of Islam.
From "Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Changed the World" by Malala Yousafzai
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.
