rebbe
Americannoun
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a teacher in a Jewish school.
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(often initial capital letter) a title of respect for the leader of a Hasidic group.
noun
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the usually dynastic leader of a Chassidic sect
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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.
“My doctoral thesis happens to be on one of the ideational foundations of American society, the rebbe of the Founding Fathers”—John Locke.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 12, 2025
The rebbe had goals for an expansion in the 1980s and 1990s, seeing it as “further preparatory act for the messiah’s arrival,” Glinter said.
From Seattle Times • Jan. 11, 2024
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
“Above the synagogue of the Kotzker rebbe: Jews don’t despair.”
From Washington Post • Nov. 17, 2016
The cost of my father's schooling, as he advanced, had mounted to seventeen rubles a term, and the poor rebbe was seldom paid in full.
From The Promised Land by Antin, Mary
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.
