Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
bin Laden

bin Laden

357 7.5
A leader of al-Qaeda who planned the September 11 attacks
  • proper noun
  • /bɪn ˈlɑːdən/
: Osama bin Laden
  • In particular, the growing threat and capabilities of Osama bin Laden were not understood in Congress.
  • Osama bin Laden
  • bin Laden's al-Qaeda
  • terrorist leader bin Laden

Osama bin Laden killed thousands of us.

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • Bin Laden is the one who keeps telling them to attack the homeland.

    Zero Dark Thirty (2012)

  • After all, Osama bin Laden has sponsored violence in both Russia and the United States.

    Academic text (2001)

  • No one's even talked to bin Laden in four years.

    Zero Dark Thirty (2012)

  • Okay, so how do you know it's bin Laden?

    Zero Dark Thirty (2012)

  • This guy never met bin Laden.

    Zero Dark Thirty (2012)

  • If you really wanna protect the homeland, you need to get bin Laden.

    Zero Dark Thirty (2012)

  • Osama bin Laden killed thousands of us.

    Megyn Kelly

  • Osama bin Laden and his al-Qaeda have, of course, been prominent foes over the past decade.

    Academic text (2013)

  • The enemy is clearly Osama bin Laden and his Islamist sympathizers and collaborators, as well as terror-supporting states.

    Academic text (2002)

  • Osama bin Laden founded al-Qaeda and was responsible for numerous terrorist attacks.

Synonyms

Osama bin Laden
vsbin Laden
  • NSFW
172 6.8

A person who started and led al-Qaeda and planned large terrorist attacks, including September 11, 2001

has identical meaning but uses an alternative first name spelling
Usama bin Laden
vsbin Laden
  • NSFW
6.7

An Arab terrorist who founded al-Qaeda and planned the September 11, 2001 attacks

has identical meaning but uses the more common English first name spelling

Surface Forms

bin Laden main

Morphology

bin + Laden

This is a proper name referring to a specific historical person, so its identity cannot be derived compositionally from the parts. Although 'bin' is an Arabic patronymic ('son of') and 'Laden' is a surname, recognizing the referent requires encyclopedic/cultural knowledge beyond B1 vocabulary, so learners who only know the constituent words would not infer the meaning.

Etymology

Bin Laden: The name bin Laden comes from Arabic, where bin means 'son of' and shows a family link to the name Laden. Today bin Laden usually refers to Osama bin Laden, the man who led the group al-Qaeda and planned the September 11, 2001 attacks.