guru

[ goor-oo, goo-roo ]
See synonyms for: gurugurus on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. Hinduism. a preceptor giving personal religious instruction.

  2. an intellectual or spiritual guide or leader.

  1. any person who counsels or advises; mentor: The elder senator was her political guru.

  2. a leader in a particular field: the city's cultural gurus.

Origin of guru

1
1820–30; <Hindi gurū<Sanskrit guru venerable, weighty

Other words from guru

  • gu·ru·ship, noun

Words Nearby guru

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use guru in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for guru

guru

/ (ˈɡʊruː, ˈɡuːruː) /


noun
  1. a Hindu or Sikh religious teacher or leader, giving personal spiritual guidance to his disciples

  2. often derogatory a leader or chief theoretician of a movement, esp a spiritual or religious cult

  1. often facetious a leading authority in a particular field: a cricketing guru

Origin of guru

1
C17: from Hindi gurū, from Sanskrit guruh weighty

Derived forms of guru

  • guruship, noun

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

Cultural definitions for guru

guru

[ (goor-ooh, goo-rooh) ]


In Hinduism, a teacher or spiritual leader.

Notes for guru

By extension, a “guru” is a teacher who attracts disciples or followers.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.