Meaning & use
faqir
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountable
A Muslim or Hindu holy person who lives by begging and relies on charity, often as a spiritual practice.
Grammar: Countable; plural is faqirs. Used mainly in South Asian and Middle Eastern contexts.
Patterns
- a faqir who lives by begging
- a wandering faqir
The old faqir sat by the mosque gate, accepting rice and coins from passersby.
In the story, a wandering faqir teaches the king a lesson about humility.
Word forms
| plural | faqirs |
|---|
Common combinations
- wandering faqir
- A wandering faqir stopped at the village well and asked for water.
- holy faqir
- People came from far away to ask the holy faqir for advice.
- live as a faqir
- He chose to live as a faqir, owning almost nothing.
Synonyms and how they differ
Word family
- fakir noun
- The more common spelling of the same word, especially in Western texts.
Commonly confused: faqir or fakir?
faqir vs fakir
Fakir is the same word with a different spelling; faqir is closer to the Arabic and Urdu original.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'faqir' correctly?
Choose one answer.
A faqir is a religious person who lives by begging and charity, so 'lived on donations and had no possessions' fits. The other options describe wealthy, military, or academic roles, which contradict the meaning.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “faqir”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.