Sahara

[ suh-har-uh, -hair-uh, -hahr-uh ]

noun
  1. a desert in northern Africa, extending from the Atlantic Ocean to the Nile valley. About 3,500,000 square miles (9,065,000 square kilometers).

  2. any arid waste.

Origin of Sahara

1
From Arabic ṣaḥra (plural ṣaḥārā ) “desert”

Other words from Sahara

  • Sa·har·an, Sa·har·i·an, adjective
  • trans-Sa·har·a, adjective
  • trans-Sa·har·an, adjective

Words Nearby Sahara

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use Sahara in a sentence

  • Thus many artesian wells have been sunk in the Algerian Sahara which have proved an immense boon to the district.

  • Richmond is, to me, a Sahara, whose single fountain of sweet waters springs up within your sister's home.

    Alone | Marion Harland
  • Except in extent, a journey across it is similar to that of the parched caravans across the flaming sands of Sahara.

    The Life of Kit Carson | Edward S. Ellis
  • Special bivouac amateur bouillon danger must have Sahara easily Groener arms impossible.

    Through the Wall | Cleveland Moffett
  • Not unworthy of rejoicing the eyes of the most fastidious connoisseurs, it lives and dies unknown in the solitudes of the Sahara.

    The Desert World | Arthur Mangin

British Dictionary definitions for Sahara

Sahara

/ (səˈhɑːrə) /


noun
  1. a desert in N Africa, extending from the Atlantic to the Red Sea and from the Mediterranean to central Mali, Niger, Chad, and the Sudan: the largest desert in the world, occupying over a quarter of Africa; rises to over 3300 m (11 000 ft) in the central mountain system of the Ahaggar and Tibesti massifs; large reserves of iron ore, oil, and natural gas. Area: 9 100 000 sq km (3 500 000 sq miles). Average annual rainfall: less than 254 mm (10 in.). Highest recorded temperature: 58°C (136.4°F)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for Sahara

Sahara

Desert in northern Africa.

Notes for Sahara

At approximately 3.5 million square miles, it is the world's largest desert.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.