lama

noun

la·​ma ˈlä-mə 

plural lamas

: a Tibetan Buddhist monk

Examples of lama in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The Reting Rinpoche dispatched a search team of high lamas, who soon heard about a precocious 2-year-old who enjoyed larking inside chicken coops but also frequently spoke yearningly about making a long journey to Lhasa. — Charlie Campbell, Time, 9 July 2026

His 1902 novel, Kim—about an Irish boy who grows up in India, studies with a Tibetan lama, and is recruited as a British intelligence asset—is often interpreted through that lens. — Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 7 July 2026

At a monastery in the Himalayan foothills, a teenage Buddhist lama blesses thousands. — CBS News, 28 May 2026

Or Arjia Rinpoche, 75, a high lama from Tibet, who was 8 in 1958 when Chinese soldiers arrested about 500 monks from his beloved monastery, many never to be seen again. — Michael Arkush, Twin Cities, 26 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

Tibetan blama

First Known Use

1841, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for lama

• brahma
• chama
• comma
• dama
• drama
• gama
• llama
• mama
• mamma
• momma
• rama
• sama

Kids Definition

lama

noun

la·​ma ˈläm-ə 

: a Lamaist monk