\ i-ˈmäm
, ē-, -ˈmam
\
, ē-, -ˈmam
\
Definition of imam
1
: the prayer leader of a mosque
2
: a Muslim leader of the line of Ali held by Shiites to be the divinely appointed, sinless, infallible successors of Muhammad
3
: any of various rulers that claim descent from Muhammad and exercise spiritual and temporal leadership over a Muslim region
Examples of imam in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Of those 265 invocations by guest chaplains, 238 were by Christian clergy, 23 by rabbis, three by Muslim imams, and one by a person who was not affiliated with a religion and gave a monotheistic prayer. — Elisha Fieldstadt, NBC News, "Atheists can be barred from giving invocation at Pennsylvania statehouse, federal court rules," 28 Aug. 2019 There is no consistent imam, or leader in prayer; rather, anyone can volunteer to stand in the front to lead. — Chicago Tribune Staff, chicagotribune.com, "Daywatch: A rare look at Chicago’s entrenched gun culture, post-Lollapalooza depression and other things to know to start your day," 6 Aug. 2019 Fraudsters are targeting people of faith by posing as pastors, rabbis, priests, imams and bishops and asking them to donate gift cards for phony causes, the Federal Trade Commission warns. — Megan Cerullo, CBS News, "Scam artists posing as religious leaders to dupe people of faith," 30 July 2019 The third man executed on Saturday had been convicted of killing and dismembering an imam and subsequently sentenced to death in a unanimous decision by the court, according to BNA. — Kara Fox And Jaide Timm-garcia, CNN, "Bahrain executes three men the day after US reinstates federal death penalty," 27 July 2019 Key to that effort has been the Mohammed VI Institute, a school of learning for imams that teaches a moderate Islam and exports it via preachers to Africa, the Middle East and Europe. — Amira El Masaiti, The Seattle Times, "Pope in Morocco: Walls, fear-mongering won’t stop migration," 31 Mar. 2019 North Texas imam and activist Omar Suleiman was one of the night’s speakers. — Obed Manuel, Dallas News, "Hundreds protest Trump administration’s treatment of migrants at border detention centers," 12 July 2019 An imam married the couple in a Muslim ceremony in a hotel ballroom, followed by dinner and dancing. — Lorraine Mirabella, baltimoresun.com, "Baltimore meets Bollywood: Wedding planners, families say area has become a top choice for South Asian weddings," 10 July 2019 It was attended by an Italian bishop and a Muslim imam, members of the local Nigerian community, and various Italian officials and sympathizers. — Abigail Haworth, Marie Claire, "The Lost Daughters of Salerno," 1 July 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'imam.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for imam
imam
noun
English Language Learners Definition of imam
: a Muslim religious leader
See the full definition for imam in the English Language Learners Dictionary