bar mitz·vah
bär-ˈmits-və 
often capitalized B&M
1
: a Jewish boy who reaches his 13th birthday and attains the age of religious duty and responsibility
2
: the initiatory ceremony recognizing a boy as a bar mitzvah
bar mitzvahed; bar mitzvahing
: to administer the ceremony of bar mitzvah to
Examples of bar mitzvah in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Adam B. Vary, Variety, 18 Oct. 2024
There was a writer who worked on the show early on and her husband had that as his bar mitzvah theme.
—Jackie Strause, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Oct. 2024
Robert D. McFadden, New York Times, 22 Dec. 2022
The Musical, an adaptation of the coming-of-age Broadway show about Evan Goldman, a teen who's about to make his bar mitzvah.
—Eric Andersson, Peoplemag, 10 Aug. 2022
See all Example Sentences for bar mitzvah 
Noun
How did the production decide to open the episode with William’s bar mitzvah?
—Adam B. Vary, Variety, 18 Oct. 2024
There was a writer who worked on the show early on and her husband had that as his bar mitzvah theme.
—Jackie Strause, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Oct. 2024
Verb
Mayor William O’Dwyer attended his bar mitzvah and gave him a $20 bill.
—Robert D. McFadden, New York Times, 22 Dec. 2022
The Musical, an adaptation of the coming-of-age Broadway show about Evan Goldman, a teen who's about to make his bar mitzvah.
—Eric Andersson, Peoplemag, 10 Aug. 2022
See all Example Sentences for bar mitzvah
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bar mitzvah.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near bar mitzvah
Cite this Entry
“Bar mitzvah.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bar%20mitzvah. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
bar mitzvah
1 of 2 noun
bar mitz·vah
bär-ˈmits-və
often capitalized B&M
1
: a Jewish boy who on his 13th birthday reaches the age of religious duty and responsibility
2
: the ceremony recognizing a boy as a bar mitzvah
bar mitzvah
2 of 2 verb
bar mitzvahed; bar mitzvahing
: to administer the ceremony of bar mitzvah to
Etymology
Noun
from Hebrew bar miṣwāh, literally, "son of the (divine) law"
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