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
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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
See All Example Sentences for imam
Cite this Entry
“Imam.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/imam. Accessed 6 May. 2025.
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