a solemn ceremony, chiefly among Reform and Conservative Jews, that is held in the synagogue on Friday night or Saturday morning to admit formally as an adult member of the Jewish community a girl 12 to 13 years old.
the girl participating in this ceremony.
the date of, or, in some congregations, a ceremony marking, this event
the girl herself on that day
From Hebrew bath miṣwāh literally, “daughter of the divine law”
How does bat-mitzvah compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
His best-known innovation—his introduction, in 1922, of the modern bat mitzvah, to mark the 12th birthdays of Jewish girls—is now standard practice in all but Orthodox synagogues.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 24, 2026
My kid has her bat mitzvah in February.
From MarketWatch ● Dec. 26, 2025
If it’s your niece’s bat mitzvah, it’s suddenly like: Are you supposed to give $18,000 instead of $360?
From Barron's ● Oct. 10, 2025
At her daughter’s bat mitzvah last year, she reflected on her own celebration years before, and envisioned what it would be like to see her child’s future children there in years to come.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 18, 2025
He says he’s sticking with us, so we all have to invite him to our bar and bat mitzvah parties.
From "A Place at the Table" by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan
The dance floor was built on top of their swimming pool — because they needed the same dance floor for their daughter’s Bat Mitzvah, so it was 2 for the price of 1.
From Salon ● Jan. 22, 2025
When she turned 11, Chishti’s parents told her she would have two coming-of-age ceremonies — a Bat Mitzvah and one where she recited the Shahada — the Muslim profession of faith.
From Seattle Times ● May 25, 2024
Last year, Sandler's lucrative relationship with Netflix also saw him write, produce and voice animation Leo; and appear in and produce comedy You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah.
From BBC ● Mar. 7, 2024
“The institution of Bat Mitzvah had been born without incident.”
From Washington Post ● Mar. 1, 2022
She had a quirky visual language that captivated Bat Mitzvah girls and artists alike.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 5, 2018
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.
