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Synonyms

shah

American  
[shah, shaw] / ʃɑ, ʃɔ /

noun

(often initial capital letter)

  1. (formerly, in Iran) king; sovereign.

shah British  
/ ʃɑː /

noun

  1. a ruler of certain Middle Eastern countries, esp (formerly) Iran

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • shahdom noun

Etymology

Origin of shah

1560–70; < Persian: king

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Pious Muslims came in the 1920s, leaving Iran as the shah secularized the nation, including banning the headscarf.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

Reza Pahlavi, the eldest son of the last shah of Iran and pretender to the throne, was a scheduled speaker, and the event was packed with Iranian monarchists.

From Slate • Mar. 27, 2026

Hanging on the wall is a large portrait of Iran's last shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who was ousted in the Islamic revolution and died in exile.

From Barron's • Mar. 13, 2026

On Tuesday, Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of Iran's last shah, urged people in Iran to obtain essential supplies as soon as possible and wait for what he called his "final call".

From BBC • Mar. 12, 2026

President Carter reluctantly allowed them into the United States so the shah could receive surgery for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, but then all hell broke loose in Tehran.

From "Americanized" by Sara Saedi

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.