Khomeini

American

[khoh-mey-nee, khoo-, khaw-mey-nee] / xoʊˈmeɪ ni, xʊ-, ˌxɔ meɪˈni /

noun

Ayatollah Ruhollah 1900?–89, Islamic leader of Iran 1979–89.

Khomeini British

/ ˈxɔmeɪˈniː /

noun

Ruholla (ˈruhɒˈlɑː), known as Ayatollah Khomeini. 1900–89, Iranian Shiite Muslim religious and political leader. Following the overthrow of the shah of Iran (1979) he returned from exile and instituted an Islamic republic. His rule saw deteriorating relations with the West and war (1980–88) with Iraq

"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

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.

His predecessor, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, had left the nation bankrupt and humiliated, following an eight-year war with neighboring Iraq, one of the deadliest global conflicts of the past century.

From The Wall Street Journal

After the Islamic revolution, its leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini appointed him Friday prayer leader of the capital, Tehran.

From BBC

As a cleric in his 20s, he encountered Khomeini, a charismatic religious leader and avowed opponent of Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi.

From Los Angeles Times

As supreme leader he never sets foot outside the country, a precedent set by Khomeini following his triumphant return to Tehran from France in 1979.

From Barron's

Their leader, the Ayatollah Khomeini, was exiled in France and shrouded in mystery.

From The Wall Street Journal

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