Khomeini

American  

[khoh-mey-nee, khoo-, khaw-mey-nee] / xoʊˈmeɪ ni, xʊ-, ˌxɔ meɪˈni /

noun

1. Ayatollah Ruhollah 1900?–89, Islamic leader of Iran 1979–89.

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Khomeini British  

/ ˈxɔmeɪˈniː /

noun

1. Ruholla (ˈruhɒˈlɑː), known as Ayatollah Khomeini. 1900–89, Iranian Shiite Muslim religious and political leader. Following the overthrow of the shah of Iran (1979) he returned from exile and instituted an Islamic republic. His rule saw deteriorating relations with the West and war (1980–88) with Iraq

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Example Sentences

In these images, Khamenei is often depicted alongside his father and Ruhollah Khomeini, the Islamic Republic’s first supreme leader.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 21, 2026

Hassan Khomeini, grandson of the first supreme leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, was in the ilk of the reformists.

From BBC • Mar. 9, 2026

He is not an ayatollah, the rank of the Islamic Republic’s founder and his father’s mentor, Ruhollah Khomeini.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 9, 2026

The Guards quickly pledged support for the new leader, who comes into the role with far less experience than his father, who had been president under the first supreme leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.

From Barron's • Mar. 8, 2026

We were scheduled to arrive at Tehran Imam Khomeini International Airport at 2:35 a.m. local time, which constituted a thirty-minute journey into the future.

From "Darius the Great Is Not Okay" by Adib Khorram