shah
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of shah
1560–70; < Persian: king
Explanation
In Iran, an emperor or king was historically called a shah. The last shah was overthrown in 1979, during the Iranian Revolution. Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the last shah of Iran, is often simply referred to as "the Shah." During his rule, he gave himself the title Shahanshah, or "king of kings." Shah has a Persian root, and the history of shahs goes all the way back to the Persian Empire in the sixth century BCE. Iran's last shah was exiled to Egypt during the Iranian Revolution, and the monarchy was officially abolished.
Vocabulary lists containing shah
Once There Was
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Only This Beautiful Moment
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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.
His latest, “Redwood,” recounts the defection of Vladimir Kuzichkin, a KGB agent in Iran in the early 1980s after the fall of the shah.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
Reza Pahlavi, the son of Iran’s last shah, seized on the protests’ momentum and urged Iranians to pour onto the streets on Jan. 8-9.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026
We then allowed the shah to assume absolute control.
From Salon ● Jul. 17, 2026
His gym includes multiple portraits of Reza Pahlavi, the US-based son of Iran's last shah.
From Barron's ● Mar. 27, 2026
But at this point, even the United States was over the shah because...wait for it...he increased the price of oil.
From "Americanized" by Sara Saedi
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.
