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
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The accusation had been listed in a footnote and was not central to the government's case against the imam. Victoria Moorwood, Cincinnati Enquirer, 5 Sep. 2025 The Saudis assigned Thumairy to serve as imam of a Los Angeles mosque in 1998. Aaron Katersky, ABC News, 28 Aug. 2025 Habib Diallo, a 60-year-old former army commando, said attending the sermons and discussions with the imam taught him about the risks of home births. Arkansas Online, 24 Aug. 2025 These imams represent moral integrity and spiritual authority and have a deep knowledge of the Quran and Islamic law. Massumeh H. Toosi, The Conversation, 18 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for imam

Word History

Etymology

Arabic imām

First Known Use

1613, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of imam was in 1613

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Cite this Entry

“Imam.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/imam. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.

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