Hanukkah

noun

Ha·​nuk·​kah ˈhä-nə-kə  ˈḵä- 

variants or less commonly Chanukah or Hanukah

: an 8-day Jewish holiday beginning on the 25th of Kislev and commemorating the rededication of the Temple of Jerusalem after its defilement by Antiochus of Syria

Examples of Hanukkah in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Jewish author and illustrator Shel Silverstein and Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg have also been featured on stamps, and the postal service has issued several stamps marking Hanukkah. —Grace Gilson, Sun Sentinel, 19 Aug. 2025

The man who fired two shotgun blasts outside an Albany synagogue on the first night of Hanukkah in 2023 was sentenced Tuesday to 10 years in prison. —Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News, 13 Aug. 2025

Her own parents, however, wanted to alternate holidays, with the exception of their beloved family Hanukkah party. —Ashley Vega, People.com, 3 July 2025

There were songs to commemorate Hanukkah and dances to celebrate Diwali. —Joshua B. Kulak, Austin American Statesman, 2 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

Hebrew ḥănukkāh dedication

First Known Use

1843, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for Hanukkah

• chronica
• harmonica
• japonica
• veronica

Kids Definition

Hanukkah

noun

Ha·​nuk·​kah

variants also Chanukah or Hanukah

ˈḵän-ə-kə,

ˈhän-

: an eight-day Jewish holiday celebrated in November or December in honor of the cleansing and second dedication of the Temple after the Syrians were driven out of Jerusalem in 165 b.c.