(in the Altaic group of languages) a title held by hereditary rulers or tribal chiefs.
the supreme ruler of the Tatar tribes, as well as emperor of China, during the Middle Ages: a descendant of Genghis Khan.
a title of respect used in Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, and other countries of Asia.
(formerly) a title borne by medieval Chinese emperors and Mongol and Turkic rulers: usually added to a name
Kublai Khan
such a ruler
a title of respect borne by important personages in Afghanistan and central Asia
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English Ca(a)n, Chan, ultimately from Turkic Khān, apparently contraction of Khāgān, equivalent to Turkish kağan “ruler”
1350–1400; < Arabic < Persian; replacing Middle English alchan < Arabic ( al the + khān )
Historically, khans were Central Asian emperors, nobles, and military leaders. One of the most famous was Genghis Khan, ruler of the 13th-century Mongol empire. The power held by someone with the title of khan depended on the country or region. In some places a khan was the most powerful ruler, and in others the khan merely controlled an army or small nomadic tribe. While the use of khan as a title faded after the Middle Ages, it became a common surname among South and Central Asian Muslims. Khan's Turkic root is khaqan, or "ruler."
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Even though an increasing number of Mongols were literate, including Kublai who was the first Mongol great khan to read, the mandarin written exam system fell into disuse.
From Textbooks ● Apr. 19, 2023
Timur’s troops then turned north to the Russian territory controlled by a former follower named Tokhtamish, the khan of the Golden Horde, who sought the same lands in central Asia that Timur claimed.
From Textbooks ● Apr. 19, 2023
London Mayor Sadiq khan said he was “heartbroken” by the news.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 19, 2021
There is this story in our family: Near my grandfather’s shop, by the Great Mosque, there was a khan where a mufti named Haji İbrahim—who belonged to the prominent Pirinççizade clan—drank tea.
From The New Yorker ● Dec. 29, 2014
Aziz’s dad was a khan for owning all the fields.
From "Everything Sad Is Untrue" by Daniel Nayeri
Just a few days after the incidents in Clapham, London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan announced he would fund at least one late night youth club for every borough.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
During Mamdani’s transition period last year, Khan had interviewed candidates for the role of EDC president and referenced the idea of reining in corporate power, The Wall Street Journal previously reported.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
Khan came to prominence as a Columbia University professor critical of Amazon, arguing that its practices were monopolistic.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
Khan worked with Khalife in the prison kitchen at HMP Wandsworth, Snaresbrook Crown Court previously heard.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
Gul Khan came by to collect their orders, and within minutes their table was overflowing with hot fragrant food.
From "Shooting Kabul" by N. H. Senzai
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
