often capitalized
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 The shooting comes months after an imam at the Omar Mosque in Paterson, about 15 miles north of Newark, was stabbed while leading prayers. Minyvonne Burke, NBC News, 4 Jan. 2024 The imam – a mosque’s cleric or prayer leader – was taken to a local hospital in critical condition, police said. Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 3 Jan. 2024 The imam, Hassan Sharif, was taken to University Hospital in critical condition, according to Newark Public Safety Director Fritz Fragé. Aaron Katersky, ABC News, 3 Jan. 2024 The imam later died, according to an official briefed on the probe. Aaron Katersky, ABC News, 3 Jan. 2024 In January, a Bronx imam got in touch with city officials. Eric Lach, The New Yorker, 13 Sep. 2023 New Jersey imam killed outside mosque An imam was killed in a shooting outside a Newark, New Jersey, mosque on Wednesday. Harold Maass, The Week Us, theweek, 4 Jan. 2024 Christian leaders along with a rabbi and an imam spoke of the pain from the shooting but also the healing process and the resilience of the community of 40,000. CBS News, 30 Oct. 2023 One makeshift shelter in the Bronx is run by an imam from Senegal, Omar Niass. Olivia Bensimon Todd Heisler, New York Times, 28 Sep. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'imam.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Dictionary Entries Near imam

Cite this Entry

“Imam.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/imam. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

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