Yom Kippur

noun

Yom Kip·​pur ˌyōm-ki-ˈpu̇r 

ˌyȯm-, 

ˌyäm- 

-ˈki-pər, 

-(ˌ)pu̇r

: a Jewish holiday observed with fasting and prayer on the 10th day of Tishri in accordance with the rites described in Leviticus 16

called also Day of Atonement

Examples of Yom Kippur in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

And an assailant drove a car into people outside an Orthodox synagogue in Manchester, England, on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish calendar. —Arkansas Online, 13 Mar. 2026

An assailant drove a car into people outside an Orthodox synagogue in Manchester, England, on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish calendar. —Corey Williams, Chicago Tribune, 12 Mar. 2026

And an assailant drove a car into people outside an Orthodox synagogue in Manchester, England, on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish calendar. —Corey Williams, Los Angeles Times, 12 Mar. 2026

The first crisis was a result of the Yom Kippur War, during which Arab oil-producing nations reduced oil shipments to countries that supported Israel. —Steve H. Hanke, Fortune, 9 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Hebrew yōm kippūr, literally, day of atonement

First Known Use

1735, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for Yom Kippur

• chipper
• clipper
• dipper
• flipper
• gripper
• kipper
• nipper
• ripper
• shipper
• skipper
• slipper
• stripper

Kids Definition

Yom Kippur

noun

Yom Kip·​pur ˌyōm-ki-ˈpu̇r  ˌyȯm- 

ˌyäm-, 

-ˈkip-ər

: a Jewish holiday observed in September or October with fasting and prayer as ways of making up for sins