ayatollah
noun
aya·tol·lah
ˌī-ə-ˈtō-lə 
-ˈtä-
-ˈtä-
-ˈtə-,
ˈī-ə-ˌtō-,
-ˌtä-,
-ˌtə-
: a religious leader among Shiite Muslims
—used as a title of respect especially for one who is not an imam
Examples of ayatollah in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The ayatollahs won’t make any deal that surrenders their nuclear program.
—
Rob Crilly, The Washington Examiner, 22 May 2026
Hundreds marched through the streets of downtown Tehran to protest the paper’s challenge to the ayatollah.
—April White, JSTOR Daily, 20 May 2026
Iran’s ayatollahs and Revolutionary Guards have dug in deeper and show surprising power to hold major enemies at bay.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 17 Apr. 2026
Trump made the ayatollahs sound risibly inept and hopelessly out of touch.
—Fintan O’Toole, The New York Review of Books, 9 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ayatollah
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.
Rob Crilly, The Washington Examiner, 22 May 2026
Hundreds marched through the streets of downtown Tehran to protest the paper’s challenge to the ayatollah.
—April White, JSTOR Daily, 20 May 2026
Iran’s ayatollahs and Revolutionary Guards have dug in deeper and show surprising power to hold major enemies at bay.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 17 Apr. 2026
Trump made the ayatollahs sound risibly inept and hopelessly out of touch.
—Fintan O’Toole, The New York Review of Books, 9 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ayatollah
Cite this Entry
“Ayatollah.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ayatollah. Accessed 30 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
