First recorded in 1655–65; from Persian, from Arabic ḥāfiẓ literally, “a guard, one who keeps (in memory),” from ḥāfiẓa “to guard, memorize”
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
One fighter was a hafiz, someone who has memorized the entire Quran.
From New York Times ● Sep. 23, 2021
Around the time Mr. Shekau killed himself, the hafiz began secretly listening to recordings of sermons by imams preaching a completely different, and peaceful, interpretation.
From New York Times ● Sep. 23, 2021
In Islam, the hafiz are followers of Muhammed who have memorised the Koran completely.
From Economist ● Nov. 3, 2017
“Khuda hafiz, Auntie and Uncle. Thank you for having us.”
From "Amina's Voice" by Hena Khan
“He’s a hafiz of the Qur’an. Watch your mouth,” she says.
From "Saints and Misfits" by S.K. Ali
Welcoming the deal, Dr Hafiz Ibrahim Ahmad, Special Adviser on Power and Energy, Katsina State, said it was now "home to the only distributed AI data centre of its kind anywhere on the African continent".
From BBC ● May 1, 2026
However, community activist and lawyer Hafiz Zainulabdin Shah said Bengalis living in Pakistan have lost some of their identity by adopting local languages.
From Barron's ● Feb. 23, 2026
“To see that this administration is plotting out how they’re going to expand its use in ways that we have not seen before is very shocking and very concerning,” Hafiz told NPR.
From Salon ● Jun. 30, 2025
The thing I love about kind internal self-talk is that as you start to bring a little kindness into the equation, you then start to become like one of my favorite Persian poets, Hafiz.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 7, 2025
General—I warn thee, Hafiz, tolerance will not stretch much further.
From Six One-Act Plays by Oliver, Margaret Scott
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.
