rabbi

noun

rab·​bi ˈra-ˌbī How to pronounce rabbi (audio)
1
: master, teacher
used by Jews as a term of address
2
: a Jew qualified to expound and apply the halacha and other Jewish law
3
: a Jew trained and ordained for professional religious leadership
specifically : the official leader of a Jewish congregation

Examples of rabbi in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Bell, meanwhile, costars with Adam Brody in Nobody Wants This; the series follows an American rabbi (Brody, 45) and an agnostic woman who embark on a romantic relationship despite the odds against them. Tommy McArdle, PEOPLE, 15 Sep. 2025 Szames, his mother, brother, sister and a rabbi and his five children all hid there until Szames and his family were to move to another location with another family. Ashley MacKin Solomon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Sep. 2025 Brody plays a hot rabbi who falls for Bell’s raunchy gentile podcaster, but their relationship could be doomed by their cultural differences in season two. Tolly Wright, Vulture, 8 Sep. 2025 The Tennessean sat down with Schiftan, 65, who retired as senior rabbi from The Temple in Nashville, and Boehm, 85, who retired from Vanderbilt University Medical Center, to talk about their friendship and their project. Brad Schmitt, The Tennessean, 28 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for rabbi

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English, from Late Latin, from Greek rhabbi, from Hebrew rabbī my master, from rabh master + my

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of rabbi was before the 12th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Rabbi.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rabbi. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

rabbi

noun
rab·​bi ˈrab-ˌī How to pronounce rabbi (audio)
1
: master entry 1 sense 1a, teacher
used as a term of address for Jewish religious leaders
2
: a professionally trained leader of a Jewish congregation
rabbinic
rə-ˈbin-ik
ra-
adjective
or rabbinical
-i-kəl
Etymology

Old English rabbi "term of address used for Jewish religious leaders," from Latin rabbi (same meaning), from Greek rhabbi (same meaning), from Hebrew rabbī "my master," from rabh "master" and the suffix "my"

More from Merriam-Webster on rabbi

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!