kibbutz
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of kibbutz
1930–35; < Modern Hebrew kibuṣ; compare Hebrew qibbūṣ gathering
Explanation
A kibbutz is a cooperative Israeli farming community. Kibbutzim provide about forty percent of Israel's agricultural output. The first kibbutz was formed in 1909, and back then farming was even more important than it is in today's kibbutzim (yes, this is the plural form of kibbutz). The original philosophy of kibbutzim was somewhat utopian, a belief in the creation of a perfect, equal society, and based in socialist ideals of shared ownership and a communal lifestyle. The word comes from the Modern Hebrew qibbus, "a gathering."
Vocabulary lists containing kibbutz
The Middle East and Central Asia - Introductory
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The Middle East and Central Asia - Middle School
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The Middle East and Central Asia - High School
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Padma also toured the newly renovated farmland of Kibbutz Alumim, where her son had lived and worked.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 15, 2025
Joshua Mollel, 21, was a Tanzanian student who was undertaking an agricultural internship at Kibbutz Nahal Oz when it was attacked on 7 October.
From BBC • Oct. 10, 2025
He helped to found Kibbutz Nir Oz, where he lived and was taken hostage from.
From BBC • Feb. 20, 2025
Eli Sharabi was taken from Kibbutz Beeri with his brother, Yossi, who has since been confirmed dead.
From BBC • Feb. 7, 2025
David has three boys and a girl and still lives in Kibbutz Gan Shmuel, famous for its orchards and its exports of fruit concentrates and tropical fish.
From "The Boy on the Wooden Box" by Leon Leyson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
