pasha

noun

pa·​sha ˈpä-shə How to pronounce pasha (audio)
ˈpa-;
pə-ˈshä,
-ˈshȯ How to pronounce pasha (audio)
variants or less commonly bashaw
: a man of high rank or office (as in Turkey or northern Africa)

Examples of pasha 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.
Most Ukrainians are fed up with the Party of Regions' ostentatious wealth and growing abuse of office, especially in the provinces, where local kingpins behave like pashas. Rajan Menon, Foreign Affairs, 11 Oct. 2011 There were pay disparities in Lopez’s early movie career that can only be attributed to Hollywood pashas believing a brown woman could not bring in big box office. Stephen Rodrick, Variety, 13 Feb. 2024 The story begins in the 1830s, when patriarch David Sassoon, son of the chief treasurer to the pashas of Baghdad, was forced to flee due to the persecution of the city’s Jewish population. James Reginato, Town & Country, 2 Mar. 2023 Many famous names include; Microsoft founder Bill Gates, Liberty Media’s John Malone, Comcast chairman Brian Roberts, Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, Apple pasha Tim Cook, Netflix co-chairs Reed Hastings and Ted Sarandos, Disney CEO Bob Chapek, Bob Iger, and Warren Buffett. Jim Dobson, Forbes, 1 July 2022 Sultan Mahmud II ordered the pasha of Egypt, Mehmed Ali, who had been born far north in what is now Greece, to retake the Peloponnese. David Mason, WSJ, 10 Dec. 2021 Arab lawmakers presented evidence that the Jerusalem pasha and local military commander had been bribed by Parker. Andrew Lawler, Smithsonian Magazine, 25 Oct. 2021 Once a pasha's palace, the property was later inhabited by Horatio and Anna Spafford, Chicagoans who arrived in 1881 and used the building to house religious pilgrims. Janine Di Giovanni, Travel + Leisure, 21 May 2020 More impressive than its size is the mood, exactingly calibrated, as if controlled by the central switchboard, which is quite a contrast to the beloved bohemian style of El Fenn or the pasha's opulence of La Mamounia. Stephanie Rafanelli, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 Mar. 2020

Word History

Etymology

Turkish paşa

First Known Use

1648, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of pasha was in 1648

Dictionary Entries Near pasha

Cite this Entry

“Pasha.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pasha. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

pasha

noun
pa·​sha ˈpäsh-ə How to pronounce pasha (audio) ˈpash-ə How to pronounce pasha (audio)
pə-ˈshä
: an official (as in Turkey or northern Africa) of high rank

More from Merriam-Webster on pasha

Love words? Need even more definitions?

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