sheikh

British

/ ʃeɪk /

noun

1. the head of an Arab tribe, village, etc
2. a venerable old man
3. a high priest or religious leader, esp a Sufi master

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of sheikh

C16: from Arabic shaykh old man

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.

An obscure group led by a wealthy Beverly Hills human rights activist said it has the means — with support from an Abu Dhabi sheikh — to pay billions more than Ellison for Paramount, including debt restructuring.

From Los Angeles Times

COVID-19 shuttered his next project, the Harlem Food Hall, but then Smalls received an unexpected call from Her Excellency, the sheikh of Dubai’s daughter, which led to his work on Alkebulan.

From Salon

They pointedly referred to him as "Mr Hendricks", rather than by religious titles like imam or sheikh.

From BBC

They insisted that the sheikh was not the target, noting that the house had been “obliterated”.

From BBC

Before the war, the sheikh was sometimes criticized for his lavish choices, like chartering a private jet to attend the World Cup in Qatar in 2022.

From New York Times

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023