rabbi

noun

rab·​bi ˈra-ˌbī 

1

: master, teacher

—used by Jews as a term of address

2

: a Jew qualified to expound and apply the halacha and other Jewish law

3

: a Jew trained and ordained for professional religious leadership

specifically : the official leader of a Jewish congregation

Examples of rabbi in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

But his candidate statement twists scripture to cast Jewish people as treacherous and contains antisemitic tropes, a rabbi with the conservative synagogue Mosaic Law Congregation told The Bee. —Mathew Miranda, Sacbee.com, 3 June 2026

Though a local rabbi officiated the union on the billboard (Winkies bedazzled the chuppah), the master of ceremonies, according to the Haring poster, was Sico, the robot star from Rocky IV (1985). —Jonathan Odden, Artforum, 2 June 2026

The mohels were first investigated after complaints lodged by Moshe Aryeh Friedman, an Antwerp rabbi. —Shira Li Bartov, Sun Sentinel, 1 June 2026

This round includes $200,000 for Chabad of Poway, which in 2019 was the target of a gunman who stormed in and killed a congregant and injured three people, including a child, her uncle and a rabbi. —Teri Figueroa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English, from Late Latin, from Greek rhabbi, from Hebrew rabbī my master, from rabh master + -ī my

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for rabbi

• apply
• awry
• belie
• bely
• bigeye
• bonsai
• buckeye
• comply
• coxae
• decry
• defy
• deny

Kids Definition

rabbi

noun

rab·​bi ˈrab-ˌī 

1

: master entry 1 sense 1a, teacher

—used as a term of address for Jewish religious leaders

2

: a professionally trained leader of a Jewish congregation

rabbinic

rə-ˈbin-ik, 

ra-

adjective

or rabbinical

-i-kəl

Etymology

Old English rabbi "term of address used for Jewish religious leaders," from Latin rabbi (same meaning), from Greek rhabbi (same meaning), from Hebrew rabbī "my master," from rabh "master" and the suffix -ī "my"