1
: a choir leader : precentor
2
: a synagogue official who sings or chants liturgical music and leads the congregation in prayer
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The cantor is, after the rabbi, the most important figure in a Jewish worship service. A cantor not only must possess an excellent singing voice but also must know by heart long passages of Hebrew. Cantors such as Jan Peerce and Richard Tucker became international opera stars. The comedian and singer Edward Israel Iskowitz renamed himself Eddie Cantor for his original profession and became enormously popular on stage, screen, radio, and television for over 40 years.
Examples of cantor in a Sentence
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Helene Feldstein, 92, grew up immersed in Judaism, with a grandfather who was a rabbi and a cantor.
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Jessica Tzikas, Sun Sentinel, 12 June 2025
In 1933, Berg ran what amounted to a Very Special Episode: a full Seder, sung by a real cantor, which Pepsodent, her sponsor, agreed to air without ads.
—Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 9 June 2025
The piece invokes the singing style of a synagogue’s cantor, who often sings many notes over a single syllable.
—Jane Levere, Forbes, 8 Mar. 2025
Jason Schwartzman stars as a recent widower, unable to fulfill his duties as a cantor at an upstate New York synagogue.
—Jason Bailey, New York Times, 21 Jan. 2025
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Jessica Tzikas, Sun Sentinel, 12 June 2025
In 1933, Berg ran what amounted to a Very Special Episode: a full Seder, sung by a real cantor, which Pepsodent, her sponsor, agreed to air without ads.
—Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 9 June 2025
The piece invokes the singing style of a synagogue’s cantor, who often sings many notes over a single syllable.
—Jane Levere, Forbes, 8 Mar. 2025
Jason Schwartzman stars as a recent widower, unable to fulfill his duties as a cantor at an upstate New York synagogue.
—Jason Bailey, New York Times, 21 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cantor
Cite this Entry
“Cantor.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cantor. Accessed 17 Jun. 2025.
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