: a king or sovereign especially of a Muslim state
Examples of sultan in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
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
In effect, Erdogan crowned himself as Turkey’s new sultan—simultaneously becoming the head of state, head of government, head of the ruling party, and head of the police (which is a national force in Turkey).
—Soner Cagaptay, Foreign Affairs, 4 Jan. 2022
See all Example Sentences for sultan 
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.
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
In effect, Erdogan crowned himself as Turkey’s new sultan—simultaneously becoming the head of state, head of government, head of the ruling party, and head of the police (which is a national force in Turkey).
—Soner Cagaptay, Foreign Affairs, 4 Jan. 2022
See all Example Sentences for sultan
Dictionary Entries Near sultan
Cite this Entry
“Sultan.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sultan. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
sultan
noun
sul·tan
ˈsəlt-ᵊn 
: a king or ruler especially of a Muslim state
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share