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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Saints, imams, and sheikhs stood between the individual and God. Anand Gopal, New Yorker, 28 Feb. 2026 Hasner once walked out of a meeting where a Muslim imam was giving a prayer as part of a group of religious leaders on National Prayer Day. Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 27 Feb. 2026 Ali is imam of the Iqra Masjid Community & Tradition mosque. Joseph Potasnik, New York Daily News, 26 Feb. 2026 An imam was hauled up from his small room adjacent to his small mosque and ordered to get ready to lead the funeral prayers of a very important man. Literary Hub, 20 Feb. 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 4 Mar. 2026.

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