Yom Kippur

American  

[yawm kip-er, yohm, yom, yawm kee-poor, yohm ki-puhr] / yɔm ˈkɪp ər, yoʊm, yɒm, ˈyɔm kiˈpur, yoʊm ˈkɪ pər /

noun

Judaism.

1. a Jewish high holy day observed on the 10th day of the month of Tishri by abstinence from food and drink and by the daylong recitation of prayers of repentance in the synagogue.

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Yom Kippur British  

/ jɔm kiˈpur, jɒm ˈkɪpə /

noun

1. Also called: Day of Atonement.  an annual Jewish holiday celebrated on Tishri 10 as a day of fasting, on which prayers of penitence are recited in the synagogue throughout the day

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Yom Kippur Cultural  

1. In Judaism, the Day of Atonement, the most important religious holiday; a day of fasting to atone for sins. It comes in autumn. (See Rosh Hashanah.)

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Etymology

Origin of Yom Kippur

From Hebrew, equivalent to yōm “day” + kippūr “atonement”

Example Sentences

The Vienna-based group drew international attention in 1973, when it imposed an oil embargo against Israel's allies in the midst of the Yom Kippur War, triggering the first oil crisis.

From Barron's • Apr. 28, 2026

He cites the precedent of the Yom Kippur War of 1973 and the subsequent oil price jump as evidence.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 23, 2026

They were the Gulf War of 1990, the Iranian revolution in 1979 and the Yom Kippur War in 1973.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 10, 2026

The rabbi said the attack, which happened on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish religious calendar, made this year's Holocaust Memorial Day "more poignant".

From BBC • Jan. 27, 2026

“I’m still making payments on it and the skirt that goes with it. I was going to wear them to this year’s Yom Kippur Ball.”

From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros