shah

noun

ˈshä How to pronounce shah (audio)
ˈshȯ
often capitalized
Synonyms of shahnext
: 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
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.
Kennedy used foreign aid to wage a bloody counterinsurgency in South Vietnam; Carter put human rights at the center of his policy and then toasted the repressive shah of Iran; Bush, claiming to be spreading democracy to the Middle East, seriously damaged America’s global legitimacy. — George Packer, The Atlantic, 20 Feb. 2025 Yet despite his misgivings, Mr. Carter granted the shah’s request. — Peter Baker, New York Times, 2 Jan. 2025 Some critics, including Kissinger, believe that Carter’s human rights policy undermined the shah. — Stuart E. Eisenstat, Foreign Affairs, 20 May 2024 The 1980 presidential campaign took place against the backdrop of the hostage crisis, which began in November 1979 after the U.S. admitted the Iranian shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, into the country to receive medical treatment following the Islamic Revolution that toppled him. — Stephen Neukam, The Hill, 29 Dec. 2024 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

Rhymes for shah

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Browse Nearby Words

shah
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Cite this Entry

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

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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

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for shah

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about shah

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