often capitalized
: a sovereign of Iran
Examples of shah in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
When popular protests swept the country in 1979, leading to the shah’s overthrow, some Jews fled before the mullahs consolidated power.
—
Roya Hakakian, The Atlantic, 10 July 2025
Beneath a formal alliance, there was a good deal of cynicism on the U.S. part about the shah’s repressive regime and use of secret police to suppress opposition.
—Gregory F. Treverton, The Conversation, 25 June 2025
Armed with advanced weaponry inherited from the last Pahlavi shah, the government launched a military campaign in Kurdistan province.
—Shukriya Bradost, The Conversation, 28 June 2025
Khamenei, 86, has led Iran since the death in 1989 of its founding supreme leader, Ruhollah Khomeini, who had led Iran for 10 years after toppling the country's last shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.
—Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 18 June 2025
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Roya Hakakian, The Atlantic, 10 July 2025
Beneath a formal alliance, there was a good deal of cynicism on the U.S. part about the shah’s repressive regime and use of secret police to suppress opposition.
—Gregory F. Treverton, The Conversation, 25 June 2025
Armed with advanced weaponry inherited from the last Pahlavi shah, the government launched a military campaign in Kurdistan province.
—Shukriya Bradost, The Conversation, 28 June 2025
Khamenei, 86, has led Iran since the death in 1989 of its founding supreme leader, Ruhollah Khomeini, who had led Iran for 10 years after toppling the country's last shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.
—Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 18 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for shah
Cite this Entry
“Shah.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shah. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.
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shah
noun
ˈshä 
ˈshȯ
: a ruler of Iran until the 1979 revolution
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