swami

noun

swa·​mi ˈswä-mē How to pronounce swami (audio)
Synonyms of swaminext
1
: a Hindu ascetic or religious teacher
specifically : a senior member of a religious order
used as a title
2
: one that resembles or emulates a swami : pundit, seer

Examples of swami 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.
Play the damn game without worrying about all that swami stuff. Nick Canepa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 June 2026 Several sequels followed, including one called Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff, in which Karloff plays a hypnotist swami from the Orient. Jordan Hoffman, Vulture, 4 Mar. 2024 In the mid-’80s, when the community had swollen to more than 600 residents, New Vrindaban’s swami, a thin-lipped former Baptist, was accused of ordering the assassination of two disgruntled devotees. Ashley Stimpson, Longreads, 19 Feb. 2022 Yogananda was the first Indian swami to make America his home. Deborah Netburn, Los Angeles Times, 19 Nov. 2020 The statue of Hanuman Murti (inset above), god of courage, was a gift from a swami in the motherland to consecrate Sri Dattatreya Yoga Centre in 2003. Omar Mouallem, WSJ, 17 Jan. 2020 Perhaps realising how bad things had become, my grandfather agreed to take a vow of celibacy in the presence of a swami. Vikram Zutshi, Quartz India, 19 July 2019

Word History

Etymology

Hindi svāmī, from Sanskrit svāmin owner, lord, from sva one's own — more at suicide

First Known Use

1895, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of swami was in 1895

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Swami.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/swami. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Kids Definition

swami

noun
swa·​mi ˈswäm-ē How to pronounce swami (audio)
1
: a Hindu priest or religious teacher
used as a title
2

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