sahara

sahara — noun

1. the largest hot desert in the world, covering a vast area of northern Africa fro

1.nounB1
Definition

the largest hot desert in the world, covering a vast area of northern Africa from the Atlantic Ocean to the Red Sea, with very little rain and extreme temperatures

Example

Ignacio had always dreamed of crossing the Sahara on a camel like the old traders.

collocation: crossing the Sahara

The Sahara receives less than three inches of rain each year in most areas.

collocation: receives ... inches of rain

Common collocations
  • the Sahara
  • cross the Sahara
  • in the Sahara
  • across the Sahara
  • edge of the Sahara

Grammar Patterns

the Sahara

Usage Note

Always used with the definite article (the Sahara). As a proper noun, it is capitalized in English. The full name the Sahara Desert is common, though the word Sahara already contains the Arabic root meaning 'desert'.

Common Mistakes

I visited Sahara last year.
I visited the Sahara last year.
Sahara is always used with 'the'.
The Sahara is a small desert in Europe.
The Sahara is a huge desert in northern Africa.
The Sahara is the largest hot desert on Earth, located in Africa.

Word family

  • Saharan
    adjectiveB2
  • sub-Saharan
    adjectiveB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

The Sahara is the world's largest hot desert, covering most of North Africa. It is far larger than the Gobi Desert in East Asia or the Kalahari in southern Africa, and much more arid than both. Unlike the Arabian Desert, which is also a hot sand desert, the Sahara includes diverse landscapes — sand dunes, rocky plateaus, salt flats, and even mountain ranges. When English speakers say 'the desert' in a general sense, the Sahara is often the archetypal example that comes to mind.

GobiKalahariArabian Desert

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • the Sahara Desert
  • edge of the Sahara
  • crossing the Sahara

Prepositions

Etymology

ArabicEnglish

The name Sahara comes from the Arabic word ṣaḥrā' (صحراء), which simply means 'desert'. Because of this, the common English phrase 'Sahara Desert' is technically a tautology — it says 'desert desert'. The name entered European languages through trade and travel narratives from North Africa.