often capitalized
: a sovereign of Iran
Examples of shah in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The shah was admitted to the United States on October 22.
—
Niall Ferguson, Foreign Affairs, 19 Aug. 2025
Kings, or shahs, ruled Persia – it became known as Iran in 1935 – until the Iranian Revolution of 1979 eliminated the monarchy and established the Islamic Republic of Iran.
—Debbie Felton, The Conversation, 8 Aug. 2025
Anderson’s account of the shah in the 1970s is a familiar story of an Icarus-like figure felled by his own hubris.
—Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 5 Aug. 2025
Khamenei, 86, has led Iran since the death in 1989 of its founding supreme leader, Ruhollah Khomeini, who had led Iran for 10 years after toppling the country's last shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.
—Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 18 June 2025
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Niall Ferguson, Foreign Affairs, 19 Aug. 2025
Kings, or shahs, ruled Persia – it became known as Iran in 1935 – until the Iranian Revolution of 1979 eliminated the monarchy and established the Islamic Republic of Iran.
—Debbie Felton, The Conversation, 8 Aug. 2025
Anderson’s account of the shah in the 1970s is a familiar story of an Icarus-like figure felled by his own hubris.
—Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 5 Aug. 2025
Khamenei, 86, has led Iran since the death in 1989 of its founding supreme leader, Ruhollah Khomeini, who had led Iran for 10 years after toppling the country's last shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.
—Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 18 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for shah
Cite this Entry
“Shah.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shah. Accessed 5 Sep. 2025.
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shah
noun
ˈshä 
ˈshȯ
: a ruler of Iran until the 1979 revolution
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