hummus

IPA/ˈhʊməs/
KK[hˈʊməs]IPA/ˈhʊməs/

hummus — noun

1. a smooth, thick paste made by blending chickpeas with tahini, lemon juice, olive

1.nounA2
Definition

a smooth, thick paste made by blending chickpeas with tahini, lemon juice, olive oil, and garlic; a traditional Middle Eastern food that people commonly serve as a dip alongside pita bread or fresh vegetables

Example

Ramón dipped a piece of warm pita bread into the hummus.

collocation: dip [bread/vegetable] into hummus

Nora made a batch of hummus for the dinner party using her grandmother's recipe.

collocation: make hummus

Common collocations
  • make hummus
  • eat hummus
  • serve hummus
  • a bowl of hummus
  • hummus with pita
Synonyms
  • dip

    a broader category; hummus is one specific type of dip

  • spread

    used when hummus is put on bread or crackers rather than dipped into

  • baba ganoush

    a similar Middle Eastern dip but made with roasted eggplant instead of chickpeas

Usage Note

Hummus is an uncountable noun — you cannot say 'a hummus' or 'one hummus'. Use a piece of / a bowl of / some hummus instead. The word can be spelled 'hummus', 'houmous', or 'hommos'; 'hummus' is the most common form worldwide.

Common Mistakes

I bought a hummus from the store.
I bought some hummus from the store.
Hummus is uncountable and cannot be used with 'a'.
I ate two hummus with my lunch.
I ate two bowls of hummus with my lunch.
Use a container word such as 'bowl' or 'container' to count servings.

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

'Dip' and 'spread' are broad categories of food, while 'hummus' names a specific dish with a distinct ingredient set (chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, garlic). 'Baba ganoush' is the closest in texture and cultural origin but uses roasted eggplant as its base instead of chickpeas, giving it a smokier flavour. 'Guacamole' is similarly a thick vegetable-based dip but is made from avocado and associated with Mexican cuisine. When choosing which word to use: pick 'hummus' when you mean the chickpea-based dip specifically, 'dip' or 'spread' when the exact type is not important, and 'baba ganoush' or 'guacamole' only when those specific ingredients are intended. For example: 'We had hummus and pita for a snack' vs. 'The party platter had several dips, including hummus and guacamole.'

dip ↗spread ↗baba ganoushguacamole ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • a bowl of hummus
  • a container of hummus
  • a spoonful of hummus

Prepositions

Etymology

ArabicEnglish

The word 'hummus' comes from Arabic 'ḥummuṣ' (حُمُّص), meaning 'chickpeas'. It entered English in the mid-20th century as Middle Eastern cuisine gained popularity in Western countries, first appearing in cookbooks and then in everyday food vocabulary.

First known use

1949

1949, in the meaning defined above