Meanings
- Combined with a relevant place, person, activity, etc. to form the names of scandals.
The George Washington Bridge lane closings started as a "-ghazi" and then became a "-gate." […] Partisans, of course, will continue trying to turn "-ghazis" into "-gates" until RobotInsurrectiongate makes the issue moot sometime in the not-so-distant future.
2014 January 15, Alex Seitz-Wald, “How to Name a Scandal: What is a '- Gate' and What Is a '-Ghazi'?”, in James Bennet, editor, The Atlantic, Washington, D.C.: The Atlantic Monthly Group, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 02 Apr 2021
plural -ghazis
- informalA scandal.
The George Washington Bridge lane closings started as a "-ghazi" and then became a "-gate." […] The Obama era is chock full of "-ghazis"—Solyndraghazi, ObamaPhoneghazi, NewBlackPanthersghazi, Umbrellaghazi, and of course Benghazi—but few "-gates" (Snowdengate and Websitegate, come to mind).
2014 January 15, Alex Seitz-Wald, “How to Name a Scandal: What is a '- Gate' and What Is a '-Ghazi'?”, in James Bennet, editor, The Atlantic, Washington, D.C.: The Atlantic Monthly Group, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 02 Apr 2021
Origin
Back-formation from Benghazi, the site of the 2012 Benghazi attack. The attack led to several investigations by the United States, though no criminal charges were levied.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
-ghazi. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/-ghazi
“-ghazi.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/-ghazi. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “-ghazi,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/-ghazi.
Source: -ghazi on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.