Yom Kippur

noun

Yom Kip·​pur ˌyōm-ki-ˈpu̇r How to pronounce Yom Kippur (audio)
ˌyȯm-,
ˌyäm- How to pronounce Yom Kippur (audio)
-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
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Roughly three hundred thousand other Israelis felt the same call and showed up for reserve service—the largest recruitment since the Yom Kippur War in 1973. Ruth Margalit, New Yorker, 14 May 2025 Likewise, this week’s study found that 62% of Israeli Jews, and 49% of American Jews, perform religious fasts — the central observance of Yom Kippur. Ben Sales, Sun Sentinel, 7 May 2025 The United States played a central role, for example, in reaching a cease-fire and partial Israeli withdrawal in the Sinai after the Yom Kippur War in 1973, in securing a peace in Bosnia in 1995, and in solving the Northern Ireland dispute in 1998. Timothy Naftali, Foreign Affairs, 2 May 2025 New reflections Image David has continued to see Mr. Wright, 64, appearing with him at a Yom Kippur event in Santa Monica, Calif., not long after Ted died. Serge F. Kovaleski, New York Times, 29 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for Yom Kippur

Word History

Etymology

Hebrew yōm kippūr, literally, day of atonement

First Known Use

1735, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Yom Kippur was in 1735

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Cite this Entry

“Yom Kippur.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Yom%20Kippur. Accessed 23 May. 2025.

Kids Definition

Yom Kippur

noun
Yom Kip·​pur ˌyōm-ki-ˈpu̇r How to pronounce Yom Kippur (audio) ˌyȯm- How to pronounce Yom Kippur (audio)
ˌyäm-,
-ˈkip-ər
: a Jewish holiday observed in September or October with fasting and prayer as ways of making up for sins

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