Shiite

noun

Shi·​ite ˈshē-ˌīt How to pronounce Shiite (audio)
: a Muslim of the Shia branch of Islam
Shiite adjective

Examples of Shiite 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.
Nabih Berri, the leader of the Shiite Amal party that is allied with Hezbollah, has been a key figure in negotiations for a ceasefire mediated by Western nations. Abbas Al Lawati, CNN, 8 Oct. 2024 For example, the president of Lebanon is designated to be Christian, the prime minister Sunni, and the speaker of parliament Shiite. Maryclare Roche, Foreign Affairs, 12 July 2024 Identity seeped into everyday bureaucratic procedures, such as getting a new passport or driver’s license; knowing, for instance, whether the passport administrator at a particular office was Sunni or Shiite helped speed a successful application. Renad Mansour, Foreign Affairs, 20 Mar. 2023 The assaults on shipping have raised the profile of the Houthis, who are members of Islam’s minority Shiite Zaydi sect, which ruled Yemen for 1,000 years until 1962. Jon Gambrell, Quartz, 17 Mar. 2024 The group, which espouses a religious ideology inspired by a sect of Shiite Islam, has honed its military capabilities through years of civil war. Thomas Fuller, New York Times, 12 Jan. 2024 In 2014, the Houthis — who espouse a religious ideology inspired by a sect of Shiite Islam — took over the Yemeni capital, Sana. Shuaib Almosawa, New York Times, 20 Dec. 2023 The rebels named themselves after Hussein al-Houthi, a key figure who promoted the Zaydi branch of Shiite Islam, which dominated Yemen for centuries. Leo Sands, Washington Post, 12 Dec. 2023 On one side are the Houthis, an insurgent Shiite Islamist movement that grew out of a northwestern Yemeni tribe; on the other side is a regime backed by a coalition of Sunni Arab states, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Samanth Subramanian, The New York Review of Books, 30 Nov. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1728, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Shiite was in 1728

Dictionary Entries Near Shiite

Cite this Entry

“Shiite.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Shiite. Accessed 2 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

Shiite

noun
Shi·​ite
variants or Shi'ite
ˈshē-ˌīt
plural Shiites or Shi'ites
: a Muslim who is a member of the Shia branch of Islam
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