Israeli

1 of 2

adjective

Is·​rae·​li iz-ˈrā-lē How to pronounce Israeli (audio)
 also  ˌiz-rə-ˈā-lē
: of or relating to the people or the republic of Israel

Israeli

2 of 2

noun

plural Israelis also Israeli
: a native or inhabitant of the republic of Israel

Examples of Israeli in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adjective
Also in the Middle East, the 1973 Battle of El Mansoura, between Egypt and Israel, lasted just under an hour and involved up to 164 Israeli planes and 62 Egyptian aircraft. Amira El-Fekki‎, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 May 2025 The agencies' past dealings with the Israeli spyware company had previously been disclosed by The New York Times, which said the CIA bankrolled Djibouti's purchase of NSO spyware and the bureau bought it for testing, but the trial put a price tag on the relationship. Raphael Satter, USA Today, 8 May 2025
Noun
Read: How to say no to a would-be autocrat For this Israeli, as for many others, the escalation is a promise to plunge deeper into darkness, militarily and morally. Gershom Gorenberg, The Atlantic, 9 May 2025 Hezbollah carried out two deadly bombing attacks in Buenos Aires, one in 1992 at the Israeli Embassy and another in 1994 at the AMIA-DAIA Jewish Center. Rachel Wolf, FOXNews.com, 7 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for Israeli

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Modern Hebrew yiśrĕ'ēlī, from Hebrew, Israelite, noun & adjective, from Yiśrā'ēl

First Known Use

Adjective

1948, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1948, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Israeli was in 1948

Cite this Entry

“Israeli.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Israeli. Accessed 19 May. 2025.

Kids Definition

Israeli

adjective
Is·​rae·​li
iz-ˈrā-lē
: of, relating to, or characteristic of the republic of Israel or its people
Israeli noun
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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