shah

noun

ˈshä How to pronounce shah (audio)
ˈshȯ
often capitalized
: a sovereign of Iran
shahdom
ˈshä-dəm How to pronounce shah (audio)
ˈshȯ-
noun

Examples of shah in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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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 In January 1979, the shah left Iran, ostensibly to seek cancer treatment. Jeffrey Fields, The Conversation, 18 June 2025 Months later, when the United States allowed the shah into the country for cancer treatment in New York, anger boiled over in Tehran leading to the takeover of the U.S. Embassy in November 1979 by militant students. Nasser Karimi, Chicago Tribune, 10 Feb. 2025 But as his cancer worsened, Mr. Carter came under pressure to admit the shah from influential figures like former Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger and the wealthy banker David Rockefeller. Peter Baker, New York Times, 2 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for shah

Word History

Etymology

Persian shāh king — more at check

First Known Use

1566, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of shah was in 1566

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Cite this Entry

“Shah.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shah. Accessed 23 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

shah

noun
ˈshä How to pronounce shah (audio)
ˈshȯ
: a ruler of Iran until the 1979 revolution

More from Merriam-Webster on shah

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