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

Etymology

Origin of Zionism

First recorded in 1895–1900; Zion + -ism

Example Sentences

As a Jew, I was especially drawn to the teachings of Martin Luther King Jr., for whom Zionism—the Jewish longing for self-determination—was inseparable from the universal struggle for human rights.

From The Wall Street Journal

The British tradition of Christian Zionism laid the foundation for the Balfour Declaration, and eventually the state of Israel.

From The Wall Street Journal

The CST said: "Both of these cases illustrate how sentiment and rhetoric towards Israel and Zionism influence, shape and drive contemporary anti-Jewish discourse, online and offline, often around totemic events that grab mainstream public attention."

From BBC

The words “Zionist” or “Zionism” also did not appear in the survey.

From Los Angeles Times

But to many Jews, Zionism — the belief in a Jewish state in the ancestral Jewish homeland — is key to Jewish identity.

From Los Angeles Times