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Synonyms

kibbutz

American  
[ki-boots, -boots] / kɪˈbʊts, -ˈbuts /

noun

plural

kibbutzim

  1. (in Israel) a community settlement, usually agricultural, organized under collectivist principles.

kibbutz British  
/ kɪˈbʊts /

noun

  1. a collective agricultural settlement in modern Israel, owned and administered communally by its members and on which children are reared collectively

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
kibbutz Cultural  

  1. plur. kibbutzim (ki-boot-seem) A communal farm or settlement in Israel. Kibbutzim have helped build national spirit in Israel, and the residents have transformed barren land into fertile, crop-producing land.

Etymology

Origin of kibbutz

1930–35; < Modern Hebrew kibuṣ; compare Hebrew qibbūṣ gathering

Explanation

A kibbutz is a cooperative Israeli farming community. Kibbutzim provide about forty percent of Israel's agricultural output. The first kibbutz was formed in 1909, and back then farming was even more important than it is in today's kibbutzim (yes, this is the plural form of kibbutz). The original philosophy of kibbutzim was somewhat utopian, a belief in the creation of a perfect, equal society, and based in socialist ideals of shared ownership and a communal lifestyle. The word comes from the Modern Hebrew qibbus, "a gathering."

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Vocabulary lists containing kibbutz

The Middle East and Central Asia - Introductory

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The Middle East and Central Asia - Middle School

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The Middle East and Central Asia - High School

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Gvili was captured during the 7 October Hamas attacks - a police officer, recovering from a broken shoulder, who went to defend nearby kibbutz Alumim.

From BBC • Dec. 12, 2025

In April, the kibbutz opened a new neighbourhood of 16 housing units earmarked for younger people, to replace the old youth quarter destroyed in the attack.

From Barron's • Oct. 16, 2025

According to the Hostages Families Forum, he "fled to a shelter in the kibbutz with other foreign students, deflected a live grenade with his bare hands, and through his bravery saved many lives".

From BBC • Oct. 14, 2025

Jonathan Kaneh, 46, who owned a polymer factory in the kibbutz of Orim, saw in the release a more somber moment.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 13, 2025

It was the only really private property Seymour and I ever had in Bessie’s entire kibbutz.

From "Franny and Zooey" by J. D. Salinger

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.