Shema (שמא) means lest in Hebrew.
It can also mean perhaps. It is a conjunction, and the Hebrew dictionary's own definitions are below.
lest, perhaps
The stress falls on the part in bold.
The dictionary gives 4 meanings for Shema.
The definitions are in Hebrew, as the dictionary writes them.
- 1לשון חז"למחשש ש..., למקרה ש....
- 2לבל...
- 3לשון חז"לאולי, אפשר.
- 4לשון חז"למצב ספק, עמדה או טענה שאינה וודאית.
The word Shema is a conjunction.
- Written with vowel points
- שֶׁמָּא
- Written without vowel points
- שמא
- Said
- shema
- Gematria
- 341
This is how Shema is said in other languages.
- English
- lest, perhaps
- Arabic
- خشية أن, خوفا من
These words mean nearly the same as Shema.
A word with a dashed border has no page of its own in this dictionary yet.
These words mean the opposite of Shema.
- ודאי
- בריאhealthy
A word with a dashed border has no page of its own in this dictionary yet.
These words rhyme with Shema.
These words come before and after Shema in the dictionary.
These are the questions people ask about the word Shema.
What does Shema (שמא) mean in Hebrew?
Shema (שמא) means lest and perhaps. It is said shema, with the stress on she.
What is a synonym for Shema (שמא)?
Words that mean nearly the same as Shema (שמא) are דלמא, פן, אולי, לו, לבל, and כי.
What is the opposite of Shema (שמא)?
Words that mean the opposite of Shema (שמא) are ודאי and בריא.
What rhymes with Shema (שמא)?
Words that rhyme with Shema (שמא) include אמה, שמע, סכימה, מורפמה, דילמה, and טרירמה.
The definitions, pronunciation, synonyms and translations on this page are adapted from the entry שמא of the Hebrew Wiktionary, read on 1 November 2026, and are shared under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.