sultan
Americannoun
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the sovereign of an Islamic country.
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(often initial capital letter) any of the former sovereigns of Turkey.
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any absolute ruler or despot.
noun
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the sovereign of a Muslim country, esp of the former Ottoman Empire
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an arbitrary ruler; despot
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a small domestic fowl with a white crest and heavily feathered legs and feet: originated in Turkey
Other Word Forms
- sultan-like adjective
- sultanic adjective
- sultanlike adjective
- sultanship noun
Etymology
Origin of sultan
1545–55; < Middle French < Turkish < Arabic sulṭān sovereign
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.
She presented herself as a wealthy, illegitimate daughter of the sultan of Brunei, initially showering Mr Hornigold, his then-partner Heather Kaniuk and his friends with lavish gifts, from cars to homes.
From BBC • Apr. 7, 2025
Words such as "sultan" and "shrine" are disappearing from place names - to be replaced with terms such as "harmony" and "happiness", according to the research, which is based on China's own published data.
From BBC • Jun. 20, 2024
Xi called Hassanal Bolkiah, Brunei’s sultan, an “old friend” and said China would work with Brunei to bring benefits to both people.
From Seattle Times • Nov. 16, 2023
Each sultan is required to indicate whether they believe the nominee is suitable to be king.
From Reuters • Oct. 26, 2023
They turned the common man into a sultan of the open road.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
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.
