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
Sunni imams issued fatwas, legal condemnations by Islamic religious leaders, against us infidels.
—
Literary Hub, 4 Mar. 2026
In 680, the Battle of Karbala took place in present-day Iraq between Hussain ibn Ali – the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad and the third Shiite imam – and Yazid ibn Mu'awiya.
—Eric Lob, The Conversation, 2 Mar. 2026
At one table a family of four dressed in festive, elegant attire joined an imam from a mosque in Hallandale Beach.
—Lauren Costantino, Miami Herald, 28 Feb. 2026
Saints, imams, and sheikhs stood between the individual and God.
—Anand Gopal, New Yorker, 28 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for imam
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Literary Hub, 4 Mar. 2026
In 680, the Battle of Karbala took place in present-day Iraq between Hussain ibn Ali – the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad and the third Shiite imam – and Yazid ibn Mu'awiya.
—Eric Lob, The Conversation, 2 Mar. 2026
At one table a family of four dressed in festive, elegant attire joined an imam from a mosque in Hallandale Beach.
—Lauren Costantino, Miami Herald, 28 Feb. 2026
Saints, imams, and sheikhs stood between the individual and God.
—Anand Gopal, New Yorker, 28 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for imam
Cite this Entry
“Imam.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/imam. Accessed 9 Mar. 2026.
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