imam

American  

[ih-mahm] / ɪˈmɑm /

Also imaum

noun

Islam.

• imams
  plural

1. the officiating priest of a mosque.

2. the title for a Muslim religious leader or chief.

3. one of a succession of seven or twelve religious leaders, believed to be divinely inspired, of the Shiʿites.

---

imam British  

/ ɪˈmɑːm, ɪˈmɑːm, ɪˈmɔːm /

noun

1. a leader of congregational prayer in a mosque

2. a caliph, as leader of a Muslim community

3. an honorific title applied to eminent doctors of Islam, such as the founders of the orthodox schools

4. any of a succession of either seven or twelve religious leaders of the Shiites, regarded by their followers as divinely inspired

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• imamship
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• imams
  plural

Etymology

Origin of imam

First recorded in 1605–15, imam is from the Arabic word imām leader, guide

Explanation

An imam is a Muslim religious leader. If you’re curious about a mosque, go talk to the imam, the person who leads the prayers. For a Sunni Muslim, the imam is a religious leader who provides community service and sometimes counseling. To a Shi'a Muslim, an imam is even more important—he is one of the central religious figures. Shi'a believe that God has chosen the imam to be a "perfect example" to everyone else and that an imam is free from sin. The literal meaning of imam in Arabic is "one who proceeds," from amma, "to go before."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

imam imams

He came from a modest background: His father was a schoolteacher and an imam at a local mosque.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026

The force said there would be "high-visibility patrols" in the area around the mosque while people attended for prayers and officers would meet with the imam.

From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026

“We lost three pillars of our community,” the imam, or leader of the mosque, Taha Hassane, said.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 22, 2026

"If he didn't do what he did, and sacrifice his life, the two suspects would have had easy access to every single classroom," said the mosque's imam, Taha Hassane.

From Barron's ● May 19, 2026

“Your son was seen in church crossing himself,” said the imam.

From "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel

Imam Reza is the only one of the 12 Shia imams buried in Iran.

From Barron's ● Jul. 8, 2026

Previously, Zaidi imams had earned leadership via their standing as scholars.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 3, 2025

He runs a small conservative synagogue in a nearby neighborhood, and wishes he could give talks about integration in public institutions as he routinely does in private ones, in partnership with imams.

From Seattle Times ● May 22, 2024

Some held signs demanding the departure of French troops, while footage posted on social media appears to show local Muslim imams leading prayers outside the base.

From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2023

She would ask them a question, just as she had asked questions of her pastors, and the imams would try to answer, but often they wouldn’t know.

From "Zeitoun" by Dave Eggers