rabbi

noun

rab·​bi ˈra-ˌbī How to pronounce rabbi (audio)
Synonyms of rabbinext
1
: master, teacher
—used by Jews as a term of address
2
: a Jew qualified to expound and apply the halacha and other Jewish law
3
: a Jew trained and ordained for professional religious leadership
specifically : the official leader of a Jewish congregation

Examples of rabbi in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The film features a wide variety of Jewish types, from kosher-enforcing kitchen staff to a group of outsider-ish kids to a female rabbi (played by Aya Cash). — Stephen Silver, Sun Sentinel, 5 Aug. 2026 As campers get older, the conversations become more about the reality of living with these conditions, according to Shay Schachter, one of the camp’s rabbis. — Rachel Hale, USA Today, 4 Aug. 2026 The jokes practically wrote themselves as an eclectic group of progressive pastors, imams and a rabbi walked into a room, finding their seats around a table to talk about religion and politics. — ABC News, 31 July 2026 After Castiglione planned to move to Michigan to be an interim rabbi for a new congregation, Crystal stepped in to fill his position. — Julie Gallant, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for rabbi

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English, from Late Latin, from Greek rhabbi, from Hebrew rabbī my master, from rabh master + -ī my

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of rabbi was before the 12th century

Rhymes for rabbi

See All Rhymes for rabbi

Browse Nearby Words

rabbet plane
rabbi
rabbin
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Rabbi.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rabbi. Accessed 14 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

rabbi

noun
rab·​bi ˈrab-ˌī How to pronounce rabbi (audio)
1
: master entry 1 sense 1a, teacher
—used as a term of address for Jewish religious leaders
2
: a professionally trained leader of a Jewish congregation
rabbinic
rə-ˈbin-ik, 
ra-
adjective
or rabbinical
-i-kəl
Etymology

Old English rabbi "term of address used for Jewish religious leaders," from Latin rabbi (same meaning), from Greek rhabbi (same meaning), from Hebrew rabbī "my master," from rabh "master" and the suffix -ī "my"

More from Merriam-Webster on rabbi

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for rabbi

Nglish: Translation of rabbi for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about rabbi

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of vacuous

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Words of the Week - Aug. 14

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All