ashram
Americannoun
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a secluded building, often the residence of a guru, used for religious retreat or instruction in Hinduism.
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the persons instructed there.
noun
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a religious retreat or community where a Hindu holy man lives
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a house that provides accommodation for destitute people
Etymology
Origin of ashram
First recorded in 1915–20, ashram is from the Sanskrit word āśrama
Explanation
An ashram is a place where people go on spiritual or religious retreats. Yoga teachers sometimes visit ashrams in India to learn more about the practice. For religious Hindus, an ashram is a place to meditate and be instructed in spiritual or artistic matters. Many Indian ashrams are located in remote places, and believers sometimes travel there on long pilgrimages. The Sanskrit root of ashram is srama, "giving the meaning of making an effort towards liberation," also "toll" or "fatigue."
Vocabulary lists containing ashram
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.
The city is also sought out by fans of Beatles because the Fab Four had spent weeks at an ashram there in 1968.
From BBC • Oct. 14, 2025
The two friends grew up on Coltrane’s ashram — Williams lived there until he was 11 and Vitthal moved there when he was 8.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 14, 2025
In 1972, Alice Coltrane moved her family from New Jersey to California with the goal of building an ashram.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 14, 2025
A few days before Christmas in 2020, quarantined with Covid in the basement of a Hare Krishna ashram in Philadelphia, Justine Payton admitted to herself how bad things had gotten.
From New York Times • May 22, 2024
He stayed in touch with Baby Kochamma even after he joined the ashram.
From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy
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.
