Dalai Lama

noun

Da·​lai La·​ma ˌdä-lī-ˈlä-mə 

ˌdä-lā-, 

ˌda-

: the spiritual head of Tibetan Buddhism

Examples of Dalai Lama in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

One of my most memorable interviews at The Times was with the Dalai Lama in 1999. — Classical Music Critic, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026

After Clinton bantered with Jiang about topics as routine as nonproliferation and trade and as forbidden as the Dalai Lama and human rights, the two men took questions from reporters. — Orville Schell, Foreign Affairs, 16 Sep. 2026

In 1959, the Dalai Lama fled Tibet through the Himalayas; a smokejumper designed a special high-altitude parachute to drop three hundred thousand Indian rupees to his escape party. — M. R. O’Connor, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026

Tenzin, born Barbara Emi, spent years as a Buddhist nun, studying under the Dalai Lama. — Christopher Cox, Vanity Fair, 26 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Mongolian dalai ocean

First Known Use

1698, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for Dalai Lama

• katayama
• melodrama
• psychodrama
• agama
• bahama
• pajama
• ulama
• brahma
• chama
• comma
• dama
• drama

Biographical Definition

Dalai Lama

biographical name

Da·​lai La·​ma ˈdä-ˌlī-ˈlä-mə 

1935–     Tenzin Gyatso Tibetan religious and political leader