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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.

The sheikh hosted top tech and finance CEOs at his royal Abu Dhabi compound, posting about the meetings—often held on a set of white couches—on Instagram.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 1, 2026

He hopes to see the mosque, which houses the tomb of a Sufi sheikh, host a traditional music festival when the renovation is complete, "in five months".

From Barron's • Feb. 1, 2026

Watson said Skydance contacted an Abu Dhabi sheikh — but he was the uncle of their prospective Middle East advisor with a similar name.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 26, 2025

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 • Feb. 20, 2025

Von Hardenberg and the sheikh took to the hills, climbing the bare slope, and I think they managed to escape.

From Across the Cameroons A Story of War and Adventure by Gilson, Charles

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