Israeli

1 of 2

adjective

Is·​rae·​li iz-ˈrā-lē How to pronounce Israeli (audio)
 also  ˌiz-rə-ˈā-lē
: of or relating to the people or the republic of Israel

Israeli

2 of 2

noun

plural Israelis also Israeli
: a native or inhabitant of the republic of Israel

Examples of Israeli in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
The Israeli prime minister’s support inside Israel has sagged in recent months, as Israeli voters demand answers for how Israeli intelligence and military forces missed Hamas’ preparations for a brazen attack that killed nearly 1,200 people and took more than 200 hostages back into Gaza. TIME, 30 Apr. 2024 Separately, in an English-language video statement released Tuesday, Netanyahu decried reports that the International Criminal Court is preparing to issue arrest warrants for senior Israeli officials on charges related to the war on Hamas. Becky Sullivan, NPR, 30 Apr. 2024 The development comes as Israeli officials are growing concerned that the International Criminal Court could soon issue arrest warrants against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other top officials over charges related to the war in Gaza, reports say. Peter Aitken, Fox News, 30 Apr. 2024 The comments by Qatar's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari in interviews with the liberal daily Haaretz and Israeli public broadcaster Kan were published and aired Saturday evening. Tia Goldenberg, arkansasonline.com, 29 Apr. 2024 All this is separate from Google’s firing of 28 employees who participated in a sit-in protest against the company’s involvement in the Israeli government cloud contract known as Project Nimbus. David Meyer, Fortune, 18 Apr. 2024 That attack wounded at least 14 Israeli soldiers, six of them severely, the IDF said. Shira Rubin, Washington Post, 18 Apr. 2024 In January, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu doubled down on his longtime opposition to a Palestinian state. Michele Kelemen, NPR, 18 Apr. 2024 The protests, organized by the No Tech for Apartheid campaign, raised concerns about Google and Amazon’s $1.2-billion cloud computing contract with the Israeli government and military. Wendy Lee, Los Angeles Times, 18 Apr. 2024
Noun
Rostrum Pacific has recently added indie hip-hop distributor and e-commerce retailer Fat Beats to its lineup and hired two former Universal Music Group execs — Kevin Engler and Bobby Israeli — to help steer the company. Thania Garcia, Variety, 26 Mar. 2024 Later, it was announced that the incident was under investigation by the Israeli Justice Ministry’s Department of Internal Police Investigations. Sufian Taha, Washington Post, 22 Mar. 2024 Across the Gaza Strip, the severe shortages of food and other basic goods come amid Israeli’s bombardment and a near-total blockade. Thomas Fuller, New York Times, 18 Mar. 2024 There are other police departments around the country that also train with Israeli Defense Forces [IDF]. Essence, 12 Mar. 2024 Around three-quarters of Jewish respondents are in favor of expanding military operations into Rafah, according to a new poll by the Israeli Democracy Institute. John Bacon, USA TODAY, 10 Mar. 2024 Two women, Emirati and Israeli, posed for a photograph holding hands atop a skyscraper in Dubai. Vivian Nereim, New York Times, 10 Mar. 2024 The report showed forces from the Israeli Engineering Corps operating tractors, trucks and engineering tools. Richard Allen Greene, CNN, 8 Mar. 2024 In March 2019 my father spent eleven days in Israel and the West Bank for a trip organized by the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD). Hazlitt, 6 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'Israeli.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Modern Hebrew yiśrĕ'ēlī, from Hebrew, Israelite, noun & adjective, from Yiśrā'ēl

First Known Use

Adjective

1948, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1948, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Israeli was in 1948

Dictionary Entries Near Israeli

Cite this Entry

“Israeli.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Israeli. Accessed 4 May. 2024.

Kids Definition

Israeli

adjective
Is·​rae·​li
iz-ˈrā-lē
: of, relating to, or characteristic of the republic of Israel or its people
Israeli noun
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!