Jump To:

• bat mitzvah
  bat mitzvah

  noun

  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.
• Bat Mitzvah
  Bat Mitzvah

  adjective

  (of a Jewish girl) having attained religious majority at the age of twelve

bat mitzvah

American  

[baht mits-vuh, bahs, baht meets-vah, bahs mits-vuh] / bɑt ˈmɪts və, bɑs, ˈbɑt mitsˈvɑ, bɑs ˈmɪts və /

Or bath mitzvah,

noun

(often initial capital letters)

1. 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.

2. the girl participating in this ceremony.

---

verb (used with object)

1. to administer the ceremony of bat mitzvah to.

Bat Mitzvah British  

/ bɑːt ˈmɪtsvə /

adjective

1. (of a Jewish girl) having attained religious majority at the age of twelve

---

noun

1. the date of, or, in some congregations, a ceremony marking, this event

2. the girl herself on that day

bat mitzvah Cultural  

1. An important ceremony and social event in Judaism marking the beginning of religious responsibility for Jewish girls; it is the less frequently observed counterpart of the bar mitzvah. Bat mitzvah is Hebrew for “daughter of the commandment.”

---

Etymology

Origin of bat mitzvah

From Hebrew bath miṣwāh literally, “daughter of the divine law”

Compare meaning

How does bat-mitzvah compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• bar mitzvah vs. bat mitzvah

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

bat mitzvah Bat Mitzvah

There are scenes of Jewish holidays, birthdays, a bat mitzvah, a student recital and a medical scare.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 5, 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

Before long, Ben is giving Carla adult bat mitzvah lessons.

From New York Times ● Jun. 1, 2024

She might still have been whining about that, except her cousin’s bat mitzvah had been so much fun.

From "Nine, Ten: A September 11 Story" by Nora Raleigh Baskin

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

Adam Sandler sparked a nepo-baby debate for casting daughters Sunny and Sadie in ‘You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah.’

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2023

“My daughter Judith was the first one to have her Bat Mitzvah celebrated there.”

From Washington Post ● Mar. 1, 2022