sultan

noun

sul·​tan ˈsəl-tᵊn How to pronounce sultan (audio)
Synonyms of sultannext
: a king or sovereign especially of a Muslim state
sultanic
ˌsəl-ˈta-nik How to pronounce sultan (audio)
adjective

Examples of sultan 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.
This mosque also holds the tombs of the commissioning sultan, his wife Haseki Hürrem, and Mimar Sinan himself. Kılıç Ali Paşa Mosque The Kılıç Ali Paşa Mosque is an example of how versatile Mimar Sinan was as an architect. — Kaitlyn McInnis, Forbes, 19 Feb. 2025 The Blue Mosque was built by Sultan Ahmet I, the Ottoman Empire’s sultan between 1603 and 1617. — Rachel Davies, Architectural Digest, 12 Dec. 2024 The sultan is the second-longest reigning monarch, following the late Queen Elizabeth II. — Ashlyn Messier, Fox News, 29 Aug. 2024 Putin refers to this region—a vast expanse of steppe and the coastline that the tsars wrested from the Ottoman sultans in the eighteenth century—by the name Novorossiya, or New Russia. — Brian Milakovsky, Foreign Affairs, 7 Oct. 2022 See All Example Sentences for sultan

Word History

Etymology

Middle French, from Arabic sulṭān

First Known Use

1555, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of sultan was in 1555

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Cite this Entry

“Sultan.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sultan. Accessed 10 Mar. 2025.

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Kids Definition

sultan

noun
sul·​tan ˈsəlt-ᵊn How to pronounce sultan (audio)
: a king or ruler especially of a Muslim state

More from Merriam-Webster on sultan

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for sultan

Nglish: Translation of sultan for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about sultan

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