Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A chant to the Hindu god Krishna.
  • noun A member of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, founded in the United States in 1966.
  • noun The society itself.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A mantra chanted as a form of supplication to the Hindu god Krishna and his divine consort Radha
  • noun A member of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a chant to the Hindu god Krishna
  • noun a religious sect founded in the United States in 1966; based on Vedic scriptures; groups engage in joyful chanting of `Hare Krishna' and other mantras based on the name of the Hindu god Krishna; devotees usually wear saffron robes and practice vegetarianism and celibacy
  • noun worshipper of Krishna and member of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[From the chant Hare Krishna : Sanskrit Hare, vocative of Hariḥ, a name of Vishnu (from hari-, yellow-green, tawny yellow; see ghel- in Indo-European roots) + Sanskrit Kṛṣṇa, vocative of Kṛṣṇaḥ, Krishna; see Krishna.]

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Examples

  • ISKCON, commonly known as the Hare Krishna movement, started serving its flavorful vegetarian fare in the jail on May 21 under contract from the prisons department. …

    Inmates Refuse to Get Out of Jail Because the Food is Too Good! | Impact Lab 2007

  • At the time, he was involved with the Radha Krishna Temple, a troupe of itinerant saffron-robed musicians who banged tambourines along Regent Street while chanting 'Hare Krishna'.

    Jim Powell: First Job: Mailboy for The Beatles 2010

  • The first edition of their book, Snapping focused on small counter-cultural cults and self-help groups that sprang up in the 1960's and 1970's such as Hare Krishna, Transcendental Meditation, EST, Mind Dynamics, Unification Church, Scientology, and others.

    Valerie Tarico: Christian Belief Through the Lens of Cognitive Science: Part 4 of 6 2009

  • I don ` t want to make it out to be some kind of Hare Krishna group, but it has cult-like characteristics and ...

    CNN Transcript Mar 27, 2006 2006

  • I even googled 'Hare Krishna' looking for it because I couldn't remember.

    Archive 2003-11-16 2003

  • "Hare Krishna," the young man said in a thin but enthusiastic voice.

    Date With Death Sapir, Richard & Murphy, Warren 1984

  • Interestingly, several sociologists have predicted that authoritarian sects such as Hare Krishna or The Unification Church will increasingly de-emphasize recruitment through proselytization and will rely on systematic indoctrination of the second generation to maintain their numbers.

    Cult Freedom Robbins, Thomas 1979

  • If you directly intend to offend him, though, it would probably be the most direct, in a sense -- this is kind of Hare Krishna stuff, where they talk about the different ways you can stand with God.

    Pitchfork: Latest News 2009

  • "They were clapping and chanting along, and then as soon as I sang 'Hare Krishna' they all looked at each other and went, Oh, that's what he is.

    Alanat News 2009

  • "She engages in one or a combination of the following spiritual practices for a minimum of 15 minutes per day (mdash; meditating, chanting" Hare Krishna, "etc.) ...

    Gawker: Valleywag 2009

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