1
: a choir leader : precentor
2
: a synagogue official who sings or chants liturgical music and leads the congregation in prayer
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The cantor is, after the rabbi, the most important figure in a Jewish worship service. A cantor not only must possess an excellent singing voice but also must know by heart long passages of Hebrew. Cantors such as Jan Peerce and Richard Tucker became international opera stars. The comedian and singer Edward Israel Iskowitz renamed himself Eddie Cantor for his original profession and became enormously popular on stage, screen, radio, and television for over 40 years.
Examples of cantor in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The piece invokes the singing style of a synagogue’s cantor, who often sings many notes over a single syllable.
—
Jane Levere, Forbes, 8 Mar. 2025
Jason Schwartzman stars as a recent widower, unable to fulfill his duties as a cantor at an upstate New York synagogue.
—Jason Bailey, New York Times, 21 Jan. 2025
While gathering some of their things, Grater called Ruth Berman Harris, the cantor at Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center (PJTC), where Grater, 54, had served as rabbi for 12 years before leaving in 2015 and becoming a congregant.
—Jordan Greene, People.com, 17 Jan. 2025
Jason Schwartzman gives one of the best performances of his career as a cantor in a crisis of faith who reunites with an old teacher named Carla (played wonderfully by the legendary Carol Kane) who asks him to help her prepare for a late-in-life bat mitzvah.
—Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 2 Jan. 2025
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Jane Levere, Forbes, 8 Mar. 2025
Jason Schwartzman stars as a recent widower, unable to fulfill his duties as a cantor at an upstate New York synagogue.
—Jason Bailey, New York Times, 21 Jan. 2025
While gathering some of their things, Grater called Ruth Berman Harris, the cantor at Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center (PJTC), where Grater, 54, had served as rabbi for 12 years before leaving in 2015 and becoming a congregant.
—Jordan Greene, People.com, 17 Jan. 2025
Jason Schwartzman gives one of the best performances of his career as a cantor in a crisis of faith who reunites with an old teacher named Carla (played wonderfully by the legendary Carol Kane) who asks him to help her prepare for a late-in-life bat mitzvah.
—Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 2 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cantor
Cite this Entry
“Cantor.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cantor. Accessed 11 May. 2025.
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