hafiz
noun
a title of respect for a Muslim who knows the Quran by heart.
hafiz
1 American
[hah-fiz]
/ ˈhɑ fɪz /
noun
Hafiz
2
American
[hah-fiz]
/ hɑˈfɪz /
noun
Hafiz
1
British
/ ˈhɑːfɪz /
noun
hafiz
2
British
/ ˈhɑːfɪz /
noun
Etymology
Origin of hafiz
First recorded in 1655–65; from Persian, from Arabic ḥāfiẓ literally, “a guard, one who keeps (in memory),” from ḥāfiẓa “to guard, memorize”
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.
See Examples For:
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
One fighter was a hafiz, someone who has memorized the entire Quran.
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
“He’s a hafiz of the Qur’an. Watch your mouth,” she says.
From "Saints and Misfits" by S.K. Ali
He was a hafiz, one who knows the Qur’an by heart, and he sang it in a slow, simple chant.
From "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel
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
It is a story Hafiz Aminu, from the northern state of Kaduna, knows all too well.
From BBC ● Feb. 7, 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
“I’m pretty negative about social media companies. They are intentionally not doing anything to stop it,” said Hafiz Malik, professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of Michigan-Dearborn.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 30, 2024
Besides the music and singing, the "Court" entertains itself nightly with performing monkeys and dancing men, besides story-tellers, and reciters of the poetry of Hafiz.
From Journeys in Persia and Kurdistan, Volume I (of 2) Including a Summer in the Upper Karun Region and a Visit to the Nestorian Rayahs by Isabella L. (Isabella Lucy) Bird
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.
