imam

noun

i-ˈmäm 

ē-, 

-ˈmam 

variants often Imam

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

During the confrontation, Hussein and his followers were massacred, but the imam’s quest for justice became a defining value of Shiite identity, fostering a sense of revolutionary duty to fight oppressors at any cost. —Sudarsan Raghavan, New Yorker, 7 Apr. 2026

Speakers at her funeral, including her father, Helal Ahmed, who is the mosque’s imam, shared emotional tributes. —Nicholas Williams, New York Daily News, 1 Apr. 2026

Ali’s leadership and the imams’ leadership wasn’t recognized by all Muslims, however. —Mary Thurlkill, The Conversation, 30 Mar. 2026

The couple walks to a mosque to consult the imam (Ismail Habbash) about what to do, and here Dabis allows Bakri to set the tone of the discussion. —Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 24 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Arabic imām

First Known Use

1613, in the meaning defined at sense 1