rabbi

noun

rab·​bi ˈra-ˌbī 

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

There is also a needy Orthodox Jewish woman (Genevieve Hudson-Price) on the premises this day, Henry Czerny as a rabbi, plus various others floating through the floors and the doors, and making Bunny’s birthday memorable in all the wrong ways. —Pete Hammond, Deadline, 14 Mar. 2025

The grave of Ḥayyim ben Joseph Vital, a 17th century rabbi who disseminated the principles of Kabbalah around the world, is some 400 years old. —Jane Arraf, NPR, 27 Feb. 2025

Weiss is founding rabbi of the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale – the Bayit in the Bronx. —Avi Weiss, New York Daily News, 27 Jan. 2025

Zafir, a rabbi and a member of the Vizhnitz community, was returning home from a wedding in Monsey, N.Y., according to multiple reports. —Muri Assunção, New York Daily News, 6 Mar. 2025

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

Rhymes for rabbi

• apply
• awry
• belie
• bely
• bigeye
• bonsai
• buckeye
• comply
• coxae
• decry
• defy
• deny

Kids Definition

rabbi

noun

rab·​bi ˈrab-ˌī 

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"