swami

noun

swa·​mi ˈswä-mē How to pronounce swami (audio)
1
: a Hindu ascetic or religious teacher
specifically : a senior member of a religious order
used as a title
2
: one that resembles or emulates a swami : pundit, seer

Examples of swami in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Several sequels followed, including one called Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff, in which Karloff plays a hypnotist swami from the Orient. Jordan Hoffman, Vulture, 4 Mar. 2024 In the mid-’80s, when the community had swollen to more than 600 residents, New Vrindaban’s swami, a thin-lipped former Baptist, was accused of ordering the assassination of two disgruntled devotees. Ashley Stimpson, Longreads, 19 Feb. 2022 The swami named her Ganga, for the Ganges River. BostonGlobe.com, 5 June 2021 Yogananda was the first Indian swami to make America his home. Deborah Netburn, Los Angeles Times, 19 Nov. 2020 Also born into an upper-caste family, Mr. Manav says he was compelled to drop his last name – a signifier of one’s caste – after hearing the swami speak. Soumya Shankar, The Christian Science Monitor, 21 May 2020 The statue of Hanuman Murti (inset above), god of courage, was a gift from a swami in the motherland to consecrate Sri Dattatreya Yoga Centre in 2003. Omar Mouallem, WSJ, 17 Jan. 2020 Perhaps realising how bad things had become, my grandfather agreed to take a vow of celibacy in the presence of a swami. Vikram Zutshi, Quartz India, 19 July 2019

Word History

Etymology

Hindi svāmī, from Sanskrit svāmin owner, lord, from sva one's own — more at suicide

First Known Use

1895, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of swami was in 1895

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Swami.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/swami. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

swami

noun
swa·​mi ˈswäm-ē How to pronounce swami (audio)
1
: a Hindu priest or religious teacher
used as a title
2

More from Merriam-Webster on swami

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!