rebbe
noun
a teacher in a Jewish school.
rebbe
American
[reb-uh]
/ ˈrɛb ə /
noun
Yiddish.
-
a teacher in a Jewish school.
-
(often initial capital letter) a title of respect for the leader of a Hasidic group.
Rebbe
British
/ ˈrɛbə /
noun
-
the usually dynastic leader of a Chassidic sect
-
an individual's chosen spiritual mentor
Etymology
Origin of Rebbe
Yiddish, from Hebrew rabbī rabbi
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:
“We needed that damn rebbe already,” one trader wrote.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 12, 2026
The Sacred Tribe’s members are happy to have their rebbe, or spiritual leader, back in front of the congregation.
From Washington Times ● Dec. 14, 2022
The trouble began when a car driven by a Hasidic Jew, part of the entourage of the Lubavitcher grand rebbe, Menachem M. Schneerson, struck and killed Gavin Cato, a Black 7-year-old.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 24, 2020
Scholars call it the “Yoda effect” — the wizened Muppet was an old rebbe, teaching the ancient wisdom.
From New York Times ● Sep. 8, 2018
The rebbe exchanges his skull-cap for his street cap, is about to go.
From The Promised Land by Antin, Mary
"When the Israelites came into their promised land, they didn't just march in and take it," Rebbe Mastriano told the faithful.
From Salon ● Oct. 20, 2024
They visited the Rebbe, who greeted them warmly.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 3, 2022
One particularly exuberant man insisted on giving him a tour of the Mitzvah Tank, a truck used to spread the teachings of their late leader, the Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneerson.
From New York Times ● Apr. 28, 2022
Equally poignant, he noted, is that April 12 was the 120th birth anniversary of the Rebbe, sparking the Lubavitcher movement to ramp up distribution of the shmura matzahs.
From Washington Times ● Apr. 12, 2022
My grandfather came to spend Rosh Hashanah with us so as to attend the services of the celebrated Rebbe of Borsche.
From "Night" by Elie Wiesel
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.
