Dalai Lama

American  

[dah-lahy lah-muh] / ˈdɑ laɪ ˈlɑ mə /

noun

1. (formerly) the ruler and chief monk of Tibet, believed to be a reincarnation of Avalokitesvara and sought for among newborn children after the death of the preceding Dalai Lama.

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Dalai Lama British  

/ ˈdælaɪ ˈlɑːmə /

noun

1. (until 1959) the chief lama and ruler of Tibet

2. born 1935, the 14th holder of this office (1940), who fled to India (1959): Nobel peace prize 1989

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Etymology

Origin of Dalai Lama

From Mongolian, equivalent to dalai “ocean” + lama “a celibate priest”

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Dalai Lama

The 90-year-old Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama has been based in India since fleeing the Tibetan capital Lhasa after Chinese troops crushed an uprising in 1959.

From Barron's ● Jul. 3, 2026

The stakes will be raised around the succession of the Dalai Lama, likely one of the most consequential religious and political flashpoints of the coming decade.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 2026

A longtime supporter of Tibet and a convert to Buddhism, Gere has frequently met the Dalai Lama, the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader accused by China of stoking separatism in the Himalayan region.

From Barron's ● Jun. 2, 2026

Gates ranked at the very top of a 2019 survey of public figures that people look up to—ahead of the Dalai Lama and Pope Francis.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 31, 2026

Phil already gave me his Dalai Lama lecture.

From "Three Little Words: A Memoir" by Ashley Rhodes-Courter