variants
often Shah
: a sovereign of Iran
Examples of shah in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
But in January 1979, the shah, fatally ill with cancer, fled Iran as mass demonstrations swelled against his rule.
—
Jon Gambrell, Los Angeles Times, 4 Jan. 2026
Pahlavi’s father was the last shah of Iran and overthrown in the 1979 revolution that established the Islamic Republic.
—Laura Kelly, The Hill, 3 Jan. 2026
Think of the Iranian shah’s secret police, the SAVAK, which the revolutionaries angrily dissolved in 1979 only to carry over many of its practices, prisons, and even personnel into a new organization, SAVAMA.
—Stephen Kotkin, Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2025
Cheap gasoline has been viewed for generations as a birthright in Iran, sparking mass demonstrations as far back as 1964, when a price increase forced the shah to put military vehicles on the streets to replace those of striking taxi drivers.
—Nasser Karimi, Arkansas Online, 14 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shah
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Jon Gambrell, Los Angeles Times, 4 Jan. 2026
Pahlavi’s father was the last shah of Iran and overthrown in the 1979 revolution that established the Islamic Republic.
—Laura Kelly, The Hill, 3 Jan. 2026
Think of the Iranian shah’s secret police, the SAVAK, which the revolutionaries angrily dissolved in 1979 only to carry over many of its practices, prisons, and even personnel into a new organization, SAVAMA.
—Stephen Kotkin, Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2025
Cheap gasoline has been viewed for generations as a birthright in Iran, sparking mass demonstrations as far back as 1964, when a price increase forced the shah to put military vehicles on the streets to replace those of striking taxi drivers.
—Nasser Karimi, Arkansas Online, 14 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shah
Cite this Entry
“Shah.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shah. Accessed 7 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
shah
noun
ˈshä 
ˈshȯ
: a ruler of Iran until the 1979 revolution
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share