imam

noun

variants often Imam
1
: the prayer leader of a mosque
2
: a Muslim leader of the line of Ali held by Shiites to be the divinely appointed, sinless, infallible successors of Muhammad
3
: any of various rulers that claim descent from Muhammad and exercise spiritual and temporal leadership over a Muslim region

Examples of imam in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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But Kadous says that users are also asking Ansari to help guide them through difficult times, which concerns him, because the questions would be better directed at an imam or another community member. Andrew R. Chow, Time, 26 May 2026 Even so, center officials spent years preparing for just such an attack, the imam acknowledged. Jeff McDonald, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 May 2026 The holy day commemorates the martyrdom of Al-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī, who was Muhammad’s grandson by his daughter Fāṭimah and his son-in-law ʿAlī and is revered by the Shiʿah as the third imam. Charles Preston, Encyclopedia Britannica, 22 May 2026 An imam at the mosque, Taha Hassane, said the center practices the lockdown drills multiple times every school year. Tim Stelloh, NBC news, 21 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for imam

Word History

Etymology

Arabic imām

First Known Use

1613, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of imam was in 1613

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Cite this Entry

“Imam.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/imam. Accessed 29 May. 2026.

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