sultan
Americannoun
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the sovereign of an Islamic country.
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(often initial capital letter) any of the former sovereigns of Turkey.
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any absolute ruler or despot.
noun
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the sovereign of a Muslim country, esp of the former Ottoman Empire
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an arbitrary ruler; despot
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a small domestic fowl with a white crest and heavily feathered legs and feet: originated in Turkey
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of sultan
1545–55; < Middle French < Turkish < Arabic sulṭān sovereign
Explanation
Use the noun sultan when you talk about the king of a Muslim country. It's most commonly used to refer to the sultans of Turkey's Ottoman Empire. There are some countries today that still use the term sultan for a ruler or nobleman, including Oman and Malaysia. However, the word comes up most often in a historical context, especially when you're talking about the former Ottoman Empire, where the title of sultan was inherited, passed from father to son. The word sultan has many different meanings in Arabic, including "strength," "ruler," "king," "queen," and "power."
Vocabulary lists containing sultan
English Words Derived from Arabic
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Southeast Asia - Introductory
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Southeast Asia - Middle School
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“At this point, seeing a patient in their early 30s is totally routine,” said Dr. Steven Sultan, a plastic and reconstructive surgeon at New York City’s Mount Sinai Hospital, referring to cancer patients.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 7, 2026
The conflict showed “too much of the world’s energy still moves through too few chokepoints,” said Sultan Al Jaber, the U.A.E.’s minister of industry and advanced technology, at a recent Atlantic Council forum.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 4, 2026
They said that in the case of Prince Sultan airbase the facility had previously come under fire before the aircraft were destroyed.
From BBC • Jun. 1, 2026
President Duma Boko and Oman's Sultan Haitham bin Tariq agreed to develop a 500-megawatt solar photovoltaic plant with battery storage, the presidency said on Monday.
From Barron's • Apr. 14, 2026
On the basis of a horoscope he had cast, Tycho declared that this event foretold the death of the Ottoman Sultan, Sulaiman, known as the Magnificent.
From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin
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.
