guru

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noun gu·ru \ ˈgu̇r-(ˌ)ü , ˈgü-(ˌ)rü also gə-ˈrü \

Definition of guru

plural gurus

1 :a personal religious teacher and spiritual guide in Hinduism

2 a :a teacher and especially intellectual guide in matters of fundamental concern

has been a guru to many young writers

b :one who is an acknowledged leader or chief proponent

became the guru of the movement

c :a person with knowledge or expertise :expert

a computer guru

See guru defined for English-language learners

See guru defined for kids

Examples of guru in a Sentence

He has been a guru to many young writers.
She's a self-proclaimed financial guru.
Fitness gurus call it the hottest new exercise trend of the year.

Recent Examples of guru from the Web

To cater to the pious, grocery shelves in the city are stacked high with the guru’s branded products.

— swati gupta, Washington Post, "Why so many Indians support men like the recently convicted guru," 30 Aug. 2017
The rape conviction isn’t the guru’s only brush with the law.

— muneeza naqvi, The Seattle Times, "Judge sends Indian guru to jail for 20 years in rapes," 28 Aug. 2017
The conviction sparked violent protests by the guru's followers that left at least 38 people dead and hundreds injured.

— rishabh r. jain and muneeza naqvi, chicagotribune.com, "Judge sends Indian spiritual guru to jail for 10 years for rape of two female followers," 28 Aug. 2017
Enter David Rockwell, the guru of design for everything from hotels (Prince Gallery Tokyo Kioicho, the Hotel Bel-Air in Los Angeles) to transportation (JetBlue Terminal 5 Marketplace at JFK) to clubs (Tao at the Dream Hotel in L.A.).

— kate krader, Bloomberg.com, "Nine Subtle Things That Completely Change Your Dining Room Experience," 21 Aug. 2017
At the peak of Marie Kondo’s popularity in the U.S., fans and skeptics alike raised their eyebrows at how the then-pregnant organizing guru would fare once a baby entered the fold.

— jen gann, The Cut, "Marie Kondo’s 2-Year-Old Can Fold Socks With Surprising Exactness," 9 Aug. 2017
The other film was Stuart Saves His Family, the SNL spinoff about the achingly unfunny addiction-and-recovery guru.

— kyle smith, National Review, "Al Franken, Un-Funny Man of the Senate," 7 Aug. 2017
STRATEGICALLY Do your online shopping through the rewards portal attached to your card, like American Airlines AAdvantage eShopping or Delta’s SkyMiles Shopping, says Ariana Arghandewal, the guru behind the Point-Chaser blog.

— katia savchuk, Cosmopolitan, "6 Ways to Get More Credit Card Rewards Without Wrecking Your Finances," 28 July 2017
The show begins at 7:30 p.m. Keillor will be joined by sound effects guru Fred Newman, longtime Prairie Home Companion music director Rich Dworsky & The Road Hounds, and Grammy-winner, Aoife O’ Donovan.

— kirby adams, The Courier-Journal, "Garrison Keillor's 'A Prairie Home Love & Comedy Tour' coming to Iroquois Amphitheater in September," 11 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'guru.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

In Hinduism, a guru is a personal spiritual teacher. In ancient India, knowledge of the Vedas (a body of liturgical literature) was transmitted orally from guru to pupil. The rise of the bhakti movement, which emphasizes the love of devotees for a personal god, further increased the importance of gurus, who were often looked on as living embodiments of spiritual truth and were identified with the deity. Gurus prescribe spiritual disciplines to their devotees, who follow their dictates in a tradition of service and obedience. Men or women may be gurus, though generally only men have established lineages.

Origin and Etymology of guru

ultimately from Sanskrit guru, from guru, adjective, heavy, venerable — more at grieve

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1613

See Words from the same year

guru Synonyms

Synonyms

ace, adept, artist, authority, cognoscente, connoisseur, crackerjack (also crackajack), dab [chiefly British], dab hand [chiefly British], fiend, geek, expert, hand, hotshot, maestro, master, maven (also mavin), meister, past master, proficient, scholar, shark, sharp, virtuoso, whiz, wizard

Antonyms

amateur, inexpert, nonexpert

Related Words

pro, professional; consultant, hired gun, specialist; addict, aficionado (also afficionado), buff, devotee, enthusiast, fan; craftsman, journeyman; all-rounder [British], jack-of-all-trades, Renaissance man; mistress

Near Antonyms

apprentice, beginner, neophyte, novice; dabbler, dilettante; layman, nonprofessional

Other Religion (Eastern and Other) Terms

Zen, antinomian, avatar, gnosticism, illuminati, ineffable, karma, koan, mantra

GURU Defined for English Language Learners

guru

play

noun

Definition of guru for English Language Learners

: a religious teacher and spiritual guide in Hinduism
: a teacher or guide that you trust
: a person who has a lot of experience in or knowledge about a particular subject