turban

noun

tur·​ban ˈtər-bən 

1

: a headdress worn chiefly in countries of the eastern Mediterranean and southern Asia consisting of a long cloth that is wrapped around a cap (as by Muslims) or directly around the head (as by Sikhs and Hindus)

2

: a headdress resembling a turban

specifically : a woman's close-fitting hat without a brim

3

: a rolled stuffed fillet of fish

turban of sole

turbaned

ˈtər-bənd 

adjective

or turbanned

Illustration of turban

• turban 1

Examples of turban in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Then armed men in black turbans, as if to justify their fear, opened fire into the crowd. —Jazzmin Jiwa, TIME, 16 Jan. 2025

Young people copied her contemporary African fashion sense, wearing a turban with a formal suit or painting tribal dots on her face as part of her makeup. —Lynsey Chutel, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2025

Her signature style is unusually androgynous for India: a man’s Nehru-style jacket and tunic, with a multicolored turban wrapped around her head. —Robert F. Worth, The Atlantic, 2 Jan. 2025

But whereas conspicuous religious symbols of all faiths (including Jewish yarmulkes, Sikh turbans, or large crosses) are banned in all French public schools, in Belgium, rules are defined at the local level. —Olivier Decottignies, Foreign Affairs, 12 Apr. 2016

Word History

Etymology

Middle French turbant, from Italian turbante, from Turkish tülbent, from Persian dulband

First Known Use

1588, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

turban

noun

tur·​ban ˈtər-bən 

1

: a head covering worn especially by Muslims and made of a long cloth wrapped around the head or around a cap

2

: a woman's small soft hat with no brim

turbaned adjective

or turbanned

-bənd