Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

Shoah

British  
/ ˈʃɔɑː /

noun

  1. (in secular Judaism) a Hebrew word for holocaust See also Churban

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of Shoah

literally: destruction

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.

Celan would later refer to the Shoah with the terrible restraint of “that which happened.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 5, 2026

Thirty-five red handprints were left on the Shoah memorial.

From BBC • Oct. 31, 2025

Because Nakba and Shoah, the Hebrew word for the Holocaust, both mean “catastrophe” in English, and because both are rooted in the 1940s, they are often equated or conflated.

From Slate • May 15, 2024

He described his father teaching him about the Shoah, or Holocaust, at the dinner table when he was young and passing the lessons along to his children and their children when he was older.

From New York Times • May 7, 2024

President Carol Folt presented the gold University Medallion to victims of the Nazi regime who have taken part in preservation programs under the Shoah Foundation.

From Los Angeles Times • May 3, 2024

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Look it up. Learn it forever.

Remember "Shoah" for good with VocabTrainer. Expand your vocabulary effortlessly with personalized learning tools that adapt to your goals.

Take me to Vocabulary.com