imam

noun

i-ˈmäm 

ē-,

-ˈmam 

often capitalized

1

: the prayer leader of a mosque

2

: a Muslim leader of the line of Ali held by Shiites to be the divinely appointed, sinless, infallible successors of Muhammad

3

: any of various rulers that claim descent from Muhammad and exercise spiritual and temporal leadership over a Muslim region

Examples of imam in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

South Africa: An imam who devoted his life to promoting gay rights and tolerance for L.G.B.T.Q. Muslims was shot and killed on Saturday, police said. —Natasha Frost, New York Times, 18 Feb. 2025

Hendricks founded the Inner Circle, a safe haven for gay Muslims, shortly after coming out as an openly gay imam in 1996. —Andrea Margolis, Fox News, 17 Feb. 2025

Muhsin Hendricks, known as the world's first openly gay imam, was shot and killed in South Africa over the weekend, as authorities investigate whether the murder was a hate crime. —Andrea Margolis, Fox News, 17 Feb. 2025

There were rabbis, imams, bishops and deacons from across the city, reflecting the diversity of the victims and New Orleans. —Carlie Kollath Wells, Axios, 6 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Arabic imām

First Known Use

1613, in the meaning defined at sense 1