sheikh

noun

ˈshēk How to pronounce sheikh (audio)
 also  for sense 1 ˈshāk
variants or sheik
1
: an Arab chief
2
usually sheik : a man held to be irresistibly attractive to romantic young women

Examples of sheikh in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web A lot of my friends were killed and injured also the sheikh in our mosque was killed. Sami Zayara, ABC News, 17 Nov. 2023 Human rights groups were denied a request to have the sheikh banned from races indefinitely earlier this week. Ryan Gaydos, Fox News, 1 May 2021 After they were married by a sheikh and signed the papers, ululations flooded the room — a celebratory tradition in many Middle Eastern countries, especially at weddings. Adela Suliman, Washington Post, 1 June 2023 The key piece of evidence was a videotape of Myers meeting an FBI agent posing as an Arab sheik in a motel room at Kennedy International Airport in New York. Robert Mitchell, Anchorage Daily News, 11 Feb. 2023 The rooms, too, are fit for a sheik, with bathrooms replete with marble tubs. Cnt Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 Dec. 2022 The sheik does not want the unwelcome news of his brother’s return to reach the rest of the village. Ed Meza, Variety, 15 Nov. 2022 Tiger Woods, apparently offered a sheik’s ransom, gave LIV the Heisman, as did Jack Nicklaus. Nick Canepacolumnist, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 June 2022 Because at the end of the day, the horse racing world is far bigger than the Arab sheikhs and hedge fund conglomerates that spend tens of millions of dollars every year at the sales trying to find that one special horse that can get them to the first Saturday in May. Dan Wolken, USA TODAY, 3 May 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sheikh.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Arabic shaykh

First Known Use

1577, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of sheikh was in 1577

Dictionary Entries Near sheikh

Cite this Entry

“Sheikh.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sheikh. Accessed 7 Dec. 2023.

Kids Definition

sheikh

noun
variants or sheik
ˈshēk How to pronounce sheikh (audio)
for sense 1 also
ˈshāk How to pronounce sheikh (audio)
1
a
: an Arab leader, ruler, or prince
b
: a leader of a Muslim organization or group
2
usually sheik : a man supposed to be irresistibly attractive to romantic young women
sheikdom
-dəm
noun
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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