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
His father, Armando Bukele, was of Palestinian origin and became an imam.
—
Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 26 Feb. 2025
The founding imam, Mikal Ramadan, was unable to attend the tour, but said later that the mosque has been an important site as Black Muslims on the South Side deepened their understanding of mainstream Islam.
—Ahmed Ali Akbar, Chicago Tribune, 9 Feb. 2025
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
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Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 26 Feb. 2025
The founding imam, Mikal Ramadan, was unable to attend the tour, but said later that the mosque has been an important site as Black Muslims on the South Side deepened their understanding of mainstream Islam.
—Ahmed Ali Akbar, Chicago Tribune, 9 Feb. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for imam
Cite this Entry
“Imam.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/imam. Accessed 28 May. 2025.
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