1
: a member of a Muslim religious order noted for devotional exercises (such as bodily movements leading to a trance)
2
: one that whirls or dances with or as if with the abandonment of a dervish
Examples of dervish in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
From midcentury design to whirling dervish ceremonies, the sisters behind womenswear brand Nackiyé share their favorite Istanbul spots for shopping and sightseeing.
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Feride Yalav-Heckeroth, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Sep. 2024
Hire a speedboat, and take the day to swim in its clear waters and snorkel to the Cave of Haxhi Ali, a karst cave named after a revered Bektashi dervish and saint in Albania.
—Samia Qaiyum, Condé Nast Traveler, 16 July 2024
Up the East Coast comes Eleanor, Leo’s former best friend and a whirling dervish in a daffodil dress.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 13 June 2024
Irving was the more spectacular of the two, spinning, driving, a dervish with the ball—his performance in the second half lifted the team to an easy win, clinching the series.
—Louisa Thomas, The New Yorker, 5 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for dervish 
Feride Yalav-Heckeroth, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Sep. 2024
Hire a speedboat, and take the day to swim in its clear waters and snorkel to the Cave of Haxhi Ali, a karst cave named after a revered Bektashi dervish and saint in Albania.
—Samia Qaiyum, Condé Nast Traveler, 16 July 2024
Up the East Coast comes Eleanor, Leo’s former best friend and a whirling dervish in a daffodil dress.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 13 June 2024
Irving was the more spectacular of the two, spinning, driving, a dervish with the ball—his performance in the second half lifted the team to an easy win, clinching the series.
—Louisa Thomas, The New Yorker, 5 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for dervish
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dervish.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Dervish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dervish. Accessed 8 Oct. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
dervish
noun
der·vish
ˈdər-vish 
: a member of a Muslim religious group noted for its customs (as bodily movements leading to a trance)
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