imam
Americannoun
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imams
plural
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the officiating priest of a mosque.
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the title for a Muslim religious leader or chief.
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one of a succession of seven or twelve religious leaders, believed to be divinely inspired, of the Shiʿites.
noun
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a leader of congregational prayer in a mosque
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a caliph, as leader of a Muslim community
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an honorific title applied to eminent doctors of Islam, such as the founders of the orthodox schools
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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
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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."
Vocabulary lists containing imam
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English Words Derived from Arabic
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World Religions
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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:
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
“We lost three pillars of our community,” the imam, or leader of the mosque, Taha Hassane, said.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 22, 2026
The imam at the mosque, Taha Hassane, said that all the staff, teachers and children at the mosque's school were safe.
From Barron's ● May 18, 2026
She told her the imam would give her advice.
From BBC ● May 14, 2026
My parents, the imam and the priest looked astounded.
From "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel
Just a few weeks ago, Talarico’s campaign met with local Muslim officials and community members in Dallas, where he emphasized a bill he filed that would include Muslim imams as legally recognized marriage officiants.
From Slate ● Nov. 2, 2026
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
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
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
