guru

noun

gu·​ru ˈgu̇r-(ˌ)ü 

ˈgü-(ˌ)rü,

 also  gə-ˈrü

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

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.

Synonyms

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

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 on the Web

Lunch with another legend, Leo Lerman, editorial guru at Conde Nast, led to writing for Gourmet and an introduction to iconic cookbook editor Judith Jones. —Tom Teicholz, Forbes, 29 Sep. 2024

Matriarch of the family empire, fitness guru, beauty entrepreneur, fashion figurehead and soon-to-be Netflix lead. —Alice Newbold, Vogue, 27 Sep. 2024

Sam Altman is baking something with Apple’s ex-design guru. —Melvin Backman, Quartz, 24 Sep. 2024

For those who haven’t heard, The Substance concerns a former Oscar-winner and A-list superstar who reinvented herself as a TV exercise guru several decades ago. —David Fear, Rolling Stone, 24 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Hindi (or another Indo-Aryan vernacular language), borrowed from Sanskrit gurúḥ "highly respected person, teacher, spiritual guide," noun derivative of gurúḥ "heavy, weighty, venerable" — more at grave entry 2

First Known Use

1613, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

guru

noun

gu·​ru gə-ˈrü 

ˈgu̇(ə)r-ü

1

: a personal religious teacher and spiritual guide in Hinduism

2

a

: a person that is generally recognized as a leader or teacher

b

: a person with knowledge and expertise : expert

Etymology

from gurū, a word in Hindi (the major language in India) meaning "Hindu teacher or spiritual guide," derived from Sanskrit guru (adjective) "worthy of respect"