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

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

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 11, 2025

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 • Aug. 6, 2025

She read the founding documents of Zionism and devoured books like Rashid Khalidi’s The Hundred Years’ War on Palestine.

From Slate • Oct. 21, 2024

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 • Aug. 13, 2024

But the tension was felt everywhere; it spilled over into our studies, and arguments over Milton, Talleyrand or deductive procedures in logic were often clear substitutes for the outlawed fistfights over Zionism.

From "The Chosen" by Chaim Potok