sheikh

noun

ˈshēk 

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

For Bondi to bless this Qatari sheikh's big bad Boeing baksheesh is another not so funny joke in a long line this year. —Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 May 2025

Inside Paramount’s bumpy sale: the president, a scion and a possible sheikh. —Ryan Faughnder, Los Angeles Times, 1 Apr. 2025

Attendees included sheikhs and the CEO of the Raffles Family Office, Chi-man Kwan. —Hayley Cuccinello, CNBC, 21 Feb. 2025

Landi also used his time in Dubai to consult for a start-up run by an Emirati sheikh. —Atossa Araxia Abrahamian Atossa Araxia Abrahamian, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Arabic shaykh

First Known Use

1577, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for sheikh

• beak
• beek
• bleak
• cheek
• chic
• clique
• creak
• creek
• eke
• freak
• geek
• greek

Kids Definition

sheikh

noun

variants or sheik

ˈshēk 

for sense 1 also

ˈshāk 

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