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
Husseini attempted to ply him with patronage, appointing him imam of a new mosque, but the cleric’s burgeoning following augured poorly for Husseini’s grip on power.
—
Sean Durns, The Washington Examiner, 12 Sep. 2025
Hazmi and Mihdhar went to Thumairy's mosque shortly after arriving and witnesses later placed them in the imam’s company, court records show.
—Michael Loria, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2025
Soliman told fellow imam Ihab Alsaghier during a recent visit.
—Hannah Allam, ProPublica, 10 Sep. 2025
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
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Sean Durns, The Washington Examiner, 12 Sep. 2025
Hazmi and Mihdhar went to Thumairy's mosque shortly after arriving and witnesses later placed them in the imam’s company, court records show.
—Michael Loria, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2025
Soliman told fellow imam Ihab Alsaghier during a recent visit.
—Hannah Allam, ProPublica, 10 Sep. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for imam
Cite this Entry
“Imam.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/imam. Accessed 19 Sep. 2025.
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