sultan
Americannoun
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sultans
plural
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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
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of sultan
1545–55; < Middle French < Turkish < Arabic sulṭān sovereign
Explanation
Use the noun sultan when you talk about the king of a Muslim country. It's most commonly used to refer to the sultans of Turkey's Ottoman Empire. There are some countries today that still use the term sultan for a ruler or nobleman, including Oman and Malaysia. However, the word comes up most often in a historical context, especially when you're talking about the former Ottoman Empire, where the title of sultan was inherited, passed from father to son. The word sultan has many different meanings in Arabic, including "strength," "ruler," "king," "queen," and "power."
Vocabulary lists containing sultan
English Words Derived from Arabic
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Southeast Asia - Introductory
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Southeast Asia - Middle School
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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.
See Examples For:
Sensing opportunity, Mehmed II, the Ottoman sultan, arrived at the walls of Constantinople on April 5.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026
British troops had been sent there, along with the French, to defend the Ottoman sultan from the predations of Russian Czar Nicholas I.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026
Hanna presented herself as a wealthy, illegitimate daughter of the sultan of Brunei, initially showering Hornigold, his then-partner Heather Kaniuk and his friends with lavish gifts, from cars to homes.
From BBC ● Apr. 24, 2026
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
On the opposing page, a portrait of the old sultan of Rûm gazed out at her.
From Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack
Malaysia also has laws prohibiting insults against its sultans, who play a largely ceremonial role.
From Reuters ● Jul. 28, 2023
Ozgur Unluhisarcikli, director of the German Marshall Fund in Ankara, said the relationship’s dual nature dates back to the sultans and czars.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 20, 2023
Malaysia's sultans play a largely ceremonial role, including acting as custodians of Islam in the Muslim-majority country, and are held in deep respect.
From Reuters ● Jul. 18, 2023
Over the course of two and a half centuries, different parts of the empire were subject to decrees issued by many sultans, often substantially different from one another and sometimes contradictory.
From Textbooks ● Dec. 14, 2022
Hugh's family was hobnobbing with chiefs and sultans while I ate hush puppies at the Sanitary Fish Market in Morehead City, a beach towel wrapped like a hijab around my head.
From "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris
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.
