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

They’re seen lighting Shabbat candles and praying at a Yom Kippur service as drama unfolds around Bergmann’s love life — turns out his girlfriend back in Russia has left David for his best friend. —Joseph Strauss, Sun Sentinel, 15 Jan. 2025

Immediately after the fall of Assad’s regime, Israeli forces entered areas within a largely unpopulated demilitarized zone between Israel and Syria established after 1973’s Yom Kippur War. —Bassem Eid, New York Daily News, 2 Jan. 2025

Oil prices spiked in 1973 when OPEC announced an embargo on the U.S. and its allies for supporting Israel during the Yom Kippur War. —Alex Newman, ABC News, 30 Dec. 2024

The fall of Assad As opposition forces ousted Assad on Dec. 8, Israeli military forces moved into the Syrian side of the demilitarized buffer zone, established after the 1973 Yom Kippur War. —Josef Federman, Los Angeles Times, 25 Dec. 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