Yom Kippur

noun

Yom Kip·​pur ˌyōm-ki-ˈpu̇r 

ˌyȯm-,

ˌyäm- 

-ˈki-pər,

-(ˌ)pu̇r

: a Jewish holiday observed with fasting and prayer on the 10th day of Tishri in accordance with the rites described in Leviticus 16

called also Day of Atonement

Examples of Yom Kippur in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

His post casting Gallego as demonic the morning before Yom Kippur was called anti-Semitic by Jewish groups. —Taylor Seely, The Arizona Republic, 5 Nov. 2024

The 1965 Dodgers were bludgeoned in Games 1 and 2 in Minnesota, Don Drysdale losing the opener, 8-2, and Sandy Koufax – who had missed that Game 1 start to observe Yom Kippur – dropping Game 2, 5-1. —Jim Alexander, Orange County Register, 27 Oct. 2024

In 1973: The United Nations brokered a cease-fire between Israel and a coalition of Arab states led by Egypt and Syria, essentially ending the Yom Kippur War. —Lorenzino Estrada, The Arizona Republic, 24 Oct. 2024

Friday night, on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish year, a Hezbollah drone struck a building in Herzliya, in central Israel, but air raid sirens had alerted people to seek shelter and there were no injuries. —Dina Kraft, The Christian Science Monitor, 16 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Hebrew yōm kippūr, literally, day of atonement

First Known Use

1735, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

Yom Kippur

noun

Yom Kip·​pur ˌyōm-ki-ˈpu̇r  ˌyȯm- 

ˌyäm-,

-ˈkip-ər

: a Jewish holiday observed in September or October with fasting and prayer as ways of making up for sins