bar mitz·vah
bär-ˈmits-və 
often capitalized B&M
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
Ben Travers, IndieWire, 22 Aug. 2025
My younger son is preparing for his bar mitzvah even now.
—Seth Lavin, Chicago Tribune, 6 Aug. 2025
The statement noted that cholent served at mitzvah meals — weddings, bar mitzvahs and other religious celebrations — is fully permitted, as is the Thursday-night practice of serving it in yeshivas, with the rabbi clarifying that students should follow the guidance of their yeshiva leadership.
—Deborah Danan, Sun Sentinel, 22 July 2025
Sal’s bar mitzvah was in 1990 and would have had a theme of a film from that year, so maybe Home Alone?
—Beatrice Verhoeven, HollywoodReporter, 5 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for bar mitzvah
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Noun
For instance, in between Avi’s 2004 plane ride that starts the episode’s main arc and its last-second flash-forward to 2022, the premiere revels in the rapid wordplay of a gentile girlfriend meeting a vibrant Jewish family and the general tomfoolery of a jubilant bar mitzvah.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 22 Aug. 2025
My younger son is preparing for his bar mitzvah even now.
—Seth Lavin, Chicago Tribune, 6 Aug. 2025
The statement noted that cholent served at mitzvah meals — weddings, bar mitzvahs and other religious celebrations — is fully permitted, as is the Thursday-night practice of serving it in yeshivas, with the rabbi clarifying that students should follow the guidance of their yeshiva leadership.
—Deborah Danan, Sun Sentinel, 22 July 2025
Sal’s bar mitzvah was in 1990 and would have had a theme of a film from that year, so maybe Home Alone?
—Beatrice Verhoeven, HollywoodReporter, 5 June 2025
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 9 Sep. 2025.
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"
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