Zionism

noun

Zi·​on·​ism ˈzī-ə-ˌni-zəm How to pronounce Zionism (audio)
: an international movement originally for the establishment of a Jewish national or religious community in Palestine and later for the support of modern Israel
Zionist adjective or noun
Zionistic adjective

Examples of Zionism in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web There are many different factions in Zionism, which – at its simplest – is support for Jewish people having an independent state in Israel. Clarissa Ward, CNN, 20 Mar. 2024 After years of arguing that the intention behind offensive words matters less than their effects, leftists should be equipped to bring a bit of subtlety and sensitivity to discussions of Jews and Zionism. Michelle Goldberg, The Mercury News, 14 Mar. 2024 In fact, some groups had already complained that courses critical of Zionism, and even films about Israel’s occupation of the West Bank, amounted to discrimination, based on the I.H.R.A. definition. Eyal Press, The New Yorker, 13 Mar. 2024 The dollar sign and the Star of David were not a statement about Jews, SNCC claimed in a subsequent newsletter, but symbols of Zionism strangling Arabs and the United States strangling Muhammad Ali as well as Arabs. Jenny Jarvie, Los Angeles Times, 23 Feb. 2024 The unmasking of an antisemitism, cloaked in ethical superiority yet openly calling for genocide, has left young diaspora Jews betrayed, and some have embraced a feeling heretofore unknown: Zionism. TIME, 20 Feb. 2024 For Feldman, Zionism has both shored up and constrained the American Jewish experience. Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 15 Feb. 2024 Jabotinsky, whose version of Zionism was the precursor to Likud, the party of Benjamin Netanyahu, had a more realistic vision. Seyward Darby, Longreads, 14 Feb. 2024 In 1931, at a congress in Jerusalem to highlight Muslim solidarity against Zionism, Sunni participants suggested that a famous Iraqi Shiite cleric lead the Friday prayer in the al Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem. Toby Matthiesen, Foreign Affairs, 9 Feb. 2024

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

Word History

First Known Use

1890, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Zionism was in 1890

Dictionary Entries Near Zionism

Cite this Entry

“Zionism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Zionism. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

Zionism

noun
Zi·​on·​ism ˈzī-ə-ˌniz-əm How to pronounce Zionism (audio)
: an international effort working in the beginning for a Jewish homeland and later for the support of Israel
Zionist adjective or noun

More from Merriam-Webster on Zionism

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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