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
According to the Israeli government, about 1,200 Israelis were killed during the Oct. 7 attacks. Cate Brown, Washington Post, 25 Mar. 2024 The only official way to cross the Rafah border, the sole crossing point between Egypt and the occupied territories, is with Israeli approval. TIME, 25 Mar. 2024 The deal would release around 700 Palestinian prisoners — including 100 serving life sentences for killing Israeli nationals — in exchange for the release of 40 Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, according to a CNN analyst Barak Ravid. Alexandra Banner, CNN, 25 Mar. 2024 Today's top stories Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant is in Washington today to meet with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and other senior officials. Suzanne Nuyen, NPR, 25 Mar. 2024 Israel vowed to destroy Hamas following the group’s Oct. 7 attack, which killed some 1,200 people, took 250 others hostage and triggered the fierce Israeli air and ground offensive in Gaza. Anders Hagstrom, Fox News, 25 Mar. 2024 A week after the Cop City march in Atlanta, a group called Palestine Action, whose U.S. branch Chambers helped found after Oct. 7, staged a direct action at an office of Elbit Systems, an Israeli defense contractor, in Merrimack, New Hampshire. David Peisner, Rolling Stone, 24 Mar. 2024 In an added twist, Blavatnik is reportedly a close friend of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and has contributed large sums of money to various Israeli causes. Tatiana Siegel, Variety, 13 Mar. 2024 Toward the end of October, the Israeli army attacked Hamas in Gaza, determined to wipe it out forever so that an atrocity like this will never happen again. Richard Trank, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Mar. 2024
Noun
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 The active-duty airman who set himself on fire in front of the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C., has died, according to a U.S. official. NBC News, 27 Feb. 2024 Azerbaijan’s victory was enabled by native conversions of outdated Soviet equipment and the Israeli Aerospace Industries’ Orbiter 1k and Harop Drones. Ariel Cohen, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 Earlier in the week, protesters disrupted an event by banging on and shattering glass doors to the auditorium where Israeli Defense Forces soldiers were scheduled to speak, videos posted on social media show. Matt Egan, CNN, 29 Feb. 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 28 Mar. 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
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