Zionism

American  

[zahy-uh-niz-uhm] / ˈzaɪ əˌnɪz əm /

noun

1. a worldwide Jewish movement that resulted in the establishment and development of the state of Israel and that now supports the state of Israel as a Jewish homeland.

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Zionism British  

/ ˈzaɪəˌnɪzəm /

noun

1. a political movement for the establishment and support of a national homeland for Jews in Palestine, now concerned chiefly with the development of the modern state of Israel

2. a policy or movement for Jews to return to Palestine from the Diaspora

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Zionism Cultural  

1. The belief that Jews (see also Jews) should have their own nation; Jewish nationalism. Zionism gained much support among Jews and others in the early twentieth century, and the hoped-for nation was established in the late 1940s in Palestine, as the state of Israel. Zionism is opposed by most Arabs. (See Arab-Israeli conflict.)

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Other Word Forms

• Zionist
  noun
• Zionite
  noun
• anti-Zionism
  noun
• anti-Zionist
  noun
• non-Zionist
  noun
• pro-Zionism
  noun
• pro-Zionist
  noun
• Zionistic
  adjective

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Etymology

Origin of Zionism

First recorded in 1895–1900; Zion + -ism

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Zionism

Zionism refers to the movement to create a Jewish state in the Middle East.

From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026

In response, Jewish groups described Zionism as "anti-racism, creating a refuge for Jews in their ancient homeland after millennia of persecution outside it".

From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026

Analysts say Winter's rising star could siphon votes from Smotrich's base, potentially preventing his Religious Zionism party from clearing the electoral threshold of 3.25 percent unless it joins a list with another party.

From Barron's ● Aug. 28, 2026

Iraqi Jews so enjoyed their lives, most opposed Zionism.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 31, 2026

Reb Saunders had drawn the line not at secular literature, not at Freud—assuming he knew somehow that Danny had been reading Freud—but at Zionism.

From "The Chosen" by Chaim Potok

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