rabbi

¹ American  

[rab-ahy] / ˈræb aɪ /

noun

• rabbis
  plural

1. the chief religious official of a synagogue, trained usually in a theological seminary and duly ordained, who delivers the sermon at a religious service and performs ritualistic, pastoral, educational, and other functions in and related to the role of a spiritual leader of Judaism and the Jewish community.

2. a title of respect for a Jewish scholar or teacher.

3. a Jewish scholar qualified to rule on questions of Jewish law.

4. any of the Jewish scholars of the 1st to 6th centuries a.d. who contributed to the writing, editing, or compiling of the Talmud.

5. Slang. a personal patron or adviser, as in business.

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rabbi ² American  

[rab-ee] / ˈræb i /

noun

Ecclesiastical.

1. rabat.

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rabbi British  

/ ˈræbaɪ /

noun

1. (in Orthodox Judaism) a man qualified in accordance with traditional religious law to expound, teach, and rule in accordance with this law

2. the religious leader of a congregation; the minister of a synagogue

3. the early Jewish scholars whose teachings are recorded in the Talmud

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rabbi Cultural  

1. In Judaism, a teacher and leader of worship, usually associated with a synagogue.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• rabbis
  plural

Etymology

Origin of rabbi¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English rabi (from Old French rab(b)i) from Late Latin rabbī, from Greek rhabbí, from Hebrew rabbī “my master” (rabh “master” + -ī “my”)

Origin of rabbi²

By alteration

Explanation

If being a rabbi was just a matter of long beards and black suits, then ZZ Top could have opened up a yeshiva. A rabbi is a Jewish spiritual leader who is a scholar of Torah laws and customs. The word rabbi comes from the Hebrew raba, meaning "great" or "revered," as seen in the Hebrew expressions saba raba (great grandfather) or hatzlacha raba (a blessing for much success). Rabbis might serve one or more of a number of roles within a Jewish community, including motivational speakers, Torah legal authorities, teachers, mentors, therapists, or as mohels who can perform ritual circumcisions.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

rabbi rabbis

He has served as Iran’s chief rabbi since 2011.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026

Earlier this year, Lion moved into an adjacent home, and the rabbi said that tensions began to rise.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 18, 2026

The rabbi for the modern-day yeshiva declined to comment to the BBC.

From BBC ● Jun. 12, 2026

Pulte and Bemporad, the rabbi, did not, Bemporad says.

From Salon ● Jun. 9, 2026

The young rabbi was sitting on the bench, watching Danny Saunders intently.

From "The Chosen" by Chaim Potok

But the great, and sociologically accurate, joke about bar mitzvahs among the Jewish has three rabbis at lunch each discussing his problem with mice in his synagogue.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 23, 2026

But some rabbis turned to online video readings of the Megillah in order to follow army orders while still respecting the religious requirements of the holiday.

From Barron's ● Mar. 2, 2026

Of Chicago rabbi Abraham Heschel, bringing 15 other white rabbis down to Selma, Ala., in 1964 at the request of King, where their arrest made headlines — which translated to political pressure.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 3, 2026

Authorities have confirmed that two rabbis, a Holocaust survivor and a 10-year-old girl were among the victims.

From BBC ● Dec. 15, 2025

Grandpa Nate later explained to me that unlike the average citizen of Century Village, rabbis don't have former lives.

From "The View From Saturday" by E.L. Konigsburg

Related Words

• priest
• teacher