swami

noun

swa·​mi ˈswä-mē How to pronounce swami (audio)
Synonyms of swaminext
1
: a Hindu ascetic or religious teacher
specifically : a senior member of a religious order
—used as a title
2
: one that resembles or emulates a swami : pundit, seer

Examples of swami 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.
Play the damn game without worrying about all that swami stuff. — Nick Canepa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 June 2026 Perhaps realising how bad things had become, my grandfather agreed to take a vow of celibacy in the presence of a swami. — Vikram Zutshi, Quartz India, 19 July 2019 Yogananda was the first Indian swami to make America his home. — Deborah Netburn, Los Angeles Times, 19 Nov. 2020 Several sequels followed, including one called Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff, in which Karloff plays a hypnotist swami from the Orient. — Jordan Hoffman, Vulture, 4 Mar. 2024 The statue of Hanuman Murti (inset above), god of courage, was a gift from a swami in the motherland to consecrate Sri Dattatreya Yoga Centre in 2003. — Omar Mouallem, WSJ, 17 Jan. 2020 In the mid-’80s, when the community had swollen to more than 600 residents, New Vrindaban’s swami, a thin-lipped former Baptist, was accused of ordering the assassination of two disgruntled devotees. — Ashley Stimpson, Longreads, 19 Feb. 2022

Word History

Etymology

Hindi svāmī, from Sanskrit svāmin owner, lord, from sva one's own — more at suicide

First Known Use

1895, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of swami was in 1895

Rhymes for swami

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Browse Nearby Words

swam
swami
swamp
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Cite this Entry

“Swami.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/swami. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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Kids Definition

swami

noun
swa·​mi ˈswäm-ē How to pronounce swami (audio)
1
: a Hindu priest or religious teacher
—used as a title
2
: seer sense 2

More from Merriam-Webster on swami

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for swami

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about swami

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