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

Then my dear rabbi and friend, Rabbi Dan Levin, called me. —Lori Brock, Sun Sentinel, 25 Feb. 2026

She’s served as a rabbi in Koreatown in Los Angeles; in Orange County, California; Anchorage, Alaska; and Wellington, New Zealand. —Sally Krutzig, Idaho Statesman, 24 Feb. 2026

In 1936, Julian Feibelman arrived as the new rabbi at New Orleans’s Temple Sinai. —Nicholas Lemann, New Yorker, 21 Feb. 2026

Upon arriving in the capital, Gertler enlisted the help of Kinshasa’s chief Chabad rabbi to make the introduction to Kabila’s 25-year-old son, Joseph, and the two hit it off immediately. —Nicolas Niarchos, Vanity Fair, 20 Feb. 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"