bar mitz·vah
bär-ˈmits-və 
variants
often Bar Mitzvah
1
: a Jewish boy who reaches his 13th birthday and attains the age of religious duty and responsibility
2
: the initiatory ceremony recognizing a boy as a bar mitzvah
bar mitzvahed; bar mitzvahing
: to administer the ceremony of bar mitzvah to
Examples of bar mitzvah in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Daily News, 16 May 2026
The evidence is its ongoing presence at sporting events, bar mitzvahs, wedding receptions, and even conservative rallies.
—Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 11 May 2026
Born in Manhattan in 1946, Ross began singing with Bennett and Spector as a little girl, performing covers at local sock hops and bar mitzvahs first as the Darling Sisters, then as Ronnie and the Relatives, and, finally, as the Ronettes.
—Hattie Lindert, Pitchfork, 27 Apr. 2026
Crystal, who has four grandkids, told Stephen Colbert that the event actually occurred on the 65th anniversary of his own bar mitzvah.
—Hannah Sacks, PEOPLE, 15 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for bar mitzvah
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
Frenkel first arrived at the synagogue in 1985 at just 23 years old, describing the moment as another rite of passage only a decade after his own bar mitzvah.
—Daily News, 16 May 2026
The evidence is its ongoing presence at sporting events, bar mitzvahs, wedding receptions, and even conservative rallies.
—Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 11 May 2026
Born in Manhattan in 1946, Ross began singing with Bennett and Spector as a little girl, performing covers at local sock hops and bar mitzvahs first as the Darling Sisters, then as Ronnie and the Relatives, and, finally, as the Ronettes.
—Hattie Lindert, Pitchfork, 27 Apr. 2026
Crystal, who has four grandkids, told Stephen Colbert that the event actually occurred on the 65th anniversary of his own bar mitzvah.
—Hannah Sacks, PEOPLE, 15 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for bar mitzvah
Cite this Entry
“Bar mitzvah.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bar%20mitzvah. Accessed 12 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
bar mitzvah
1 of 2 noun
bar mitz·vah
bär-ˈmits-və
often capitalized B&M
1
: a Jewish boy who on his 13th birthday reaches the age of religious duty and responsibility
2
: the ceremony recognizing a boy as a bar mitzvah
bar mitzvah
2 of 2 verb
bar mitzvahed; bar mitzvahing
: to administer the ceremony of bar mitzvah to
Etymology
Noun
from Hebrew bar miṣwāh, literally, "son of the (divine) law"
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
