Definitions

bar mitzvah

[bahr mits-vuh, bahr, bahr meets-vah] / bɑr ˈmɪts və, bɑr, ˌbɑr mitsˈvɑ /

NOUN

jewish rite of passage

Synonyms

WEAK

bar mizvah bas mitzvah bat mitzvah

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Bandel came with his entire family to celebrate his grandson's upcoming bar mitzvah, the Jewish coming-of-age ritual.

From Barron's • Apr. 9, 2026

As a child in New Orleans, Nicholas Lemann never attended a bar mitzvah or heard Hebrew.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 2026

Reiner’s parents got him an 8mm film camera for his bar mitzvah and from that moment on he was rarely without one.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 15, 2025

“I challenge you, any party you go to — wedding reception, bar mitzvah, whatever it is — when ‘La Bamba’ comes on, the tables clear and everybody gets up to dance.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 2, 2025

I wasn’t lying when I said my bar mitzvah was a tribute to my family killed during the Holocaust and the scores of relatives who never got the chance to be born.

From "Linked" by Gordon Korman