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

Bauer fled to Denmark in 1936 and then to Sweden in 1943, after a Danish rabbi warned that the occupying Germans were about to round up all the Jews in the country. —Gary J. Bass, New York Times, 22 Feb. 2025

Poland’s chief rabbi, Michael Schudrich, said members of the Jewish community would miss him greatly. —Vanessa Gera, Sun Sentinel, 18 Feb. 2025

Arthur remembers receiving some sage words from his rabbi on his wedding day. —Sofía Sanchez, CNN, 8 Feb. 2025

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Ruth was born Renee Friedman to a Czechoslovakian Jewish family that included doctors and rabbis. —Jesse Kirsch, NBC News, 2 Feb. 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"