kibbutz

noun

kib·​butz ki-ˈbu̇ts  -ˈbüts 

plural kibbutzim ki-ˌbu̇t-ˈsēm 

-ˌbüt-

: a communal farm or settlement in Israel

Did you know?

A kibbutz is a communal settlement in Israel in which all wealth is held in common and profits are reinvested in the settlement. The first kibbutz was founded in 1909; currently there are about 270, with a total population exceeding 120,000. Adults live in private quarters, while children are generally housed and cared for as a group. Meals are prepared and eaten communally. Members have regular meetings to discuss business and to take votes on matters requiring decisions. Jobs may be assigned by rotation, by choice, or by skill.

Examples of kibbutz in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

They were all kidnapped from the same Israeli kibbutz, Nir Oz, near the border with Gaza — among the roughly 250 hostages taken that day. —Natan Odenheimer, New York Times, 25 Mar. 2025

Every day, members of the kibbutz gathered in a banquet hall to hear updates about neighbors who had been kidnapped or murdered or were still missing. —Eyal Press, New Yorker, 9 June 2025

Bachar lost his wife, his teenage son and his right leg in the attacks, in which 100 of the kibbutz’s 1,100 residents were killed. —Kara Fox, CNN Money, 3 May 2025

How Israel-Hamas agreement came to be amid false starts, recriminations and deaths of key players Shoham had been kidnapped with his family from the kibbutz of Be'eri in southern Israel. —Matt Gutman, ABC News, 17 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Modern Hebrew qibbūṣ

First Known Use

1926, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for kibbutz

• inputs
• outputs
• rajputs
• throughputs
• foots
• puts

Kids Definition

kibbutz

noun

kib·​butz kib-ˈu̇ts  -ˈüts 

plural kibbutzim -ˌu̇t-ˈsēm 

-ˌüt-

: a farming settlement in Israel that is owned and shared equally by the people who live there and run it