Zionism

[zahy-uh-niz-uhm]

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.

Zionism

/ 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

Zionism

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.)

Other Word Forms

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of Zionism¹

First recorded in 1895–1900; Zion + -ism

Example Sentences

From American university campuses to European high schools, solidarity with the Palestinian cause—and hostility to Zionism—have become the political markers of a new generation.

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Elsewhere, Match of the Day host Gary Lineker left the BBC after sharing an Instagram reel about Zionism that featured an illustration of a rat, considered an antisemitic slur.

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An outspoken supporter of Israel who has decried a “demonization of Zionism” at the university, Pearl was the co-recipient of a $1.2-million National Science Foundation grant suspended in late July.

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"This is Zionism at its best – building, settling and strengthening our sovereignty in the Land of Israel."

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He delivered a screed on the history of the Middle East, telling his attorney, “Zionism is more inimical to me than communism is to you.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times