variants
or less commonly calif
: a successor of Muhammad as temporal (see temporal entry 1 sense 1c) and spiritual head of Islam
—used as a title
Examples of caliph in a Sentence
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Sunnis wanted leadership to be decided by consensus, leading to the appointment of Abu Bakr as Islam’s first ruler or caliph.
—
Ismaeel Naar, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025
Muawiya would play a central role in the first civil war in Islam following the assassination of the third caliph, Uthman ibn Affan.
—Ismaeel Naar, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025
Spaghetti With Roasted Tomato-Almond Pesto A century after the last caliph
Who is Jason Palmer, the Democrat who beat Biden in American Samoa’s caucuses?
—Washington Post, 6 Mar. 2024
Its territorial expansion led jihadi groups in more than ten countries to pledge allegiance to the new caliph.
—Nelly Lahoud, Foreign Affairs, 13 Aug. 2021
See All Example Sentences for caliph
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Ismaeel Naar, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025
Muawiya would play a central role in the first civil war in Islam following the assassination of the third caliph, Uthman ibn Affan.
—Ismaeel Naar, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025
Spaghetti With Roasted Tomato-Almond Pesto A century after the last caliph
Who is Jason Palmer, the Democrat who beat Biden in American Samoa’s caucuses?
—Washington Post, 6 Mar. 2024
Its territorial expansion led jihadi groups in more than ten countries to pledge allegiance to the new caliph.
—Nelly Lahoud, Foreign Affairs, 13 Aug. 2021
See All Example Sentences for caliph
Cite this Entry
“Caliph.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/caliph. Accessed 20 May. 2025.
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