Bolshevik

noun

Bol·​she·​vik ˈbōl-shə-ˌvik How to pronounce Bolshevik (audio)
ˈbȯl-,
ˈbäl-,
-ˌvēk How to pronounce Bolshevik (audio)
plural Bolsheviks also Bolsheviki ˌbōl-shə-ˈvi-kē How to pronounce Bolshevik (audio)
ˌbȯl-,
ˌbäl-,
-ˈvē-kē
1
: a member of the extremist wing of the Russian Social Democratic party that seized power in Russia by the Revolution of November 1917
2
Bolshevik adjective

Examples of Bolshevik in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web For working-class young men like Platonov, the Bolshevik Revolution opened up huge vistas of opportunity, not merely for self-betterment but for the creation of a new society. Benjamin Kunkel, The New Yorker, 11 Mar. 2024 Paramount and the Bolshevik parted ways before his contract was up. Thomas Doherty, The Hollywood Reporter, 29 Feb. 2024 The Bolshevik leader Leon Trotsky’s talent as a military organizer gradually turned the ragtag collection of volunteer Red militias into a regular conscript army, and by the fall of 1920, the Whites were thoroughly defeated and dislodged from most Russian territory. Anna Reid, Foreign Affairs, 20 Feb. 2024 But Putin's views on Lenin, the Bolshevik leader and founding father of Soviet Russia, are complicated and contradictory. Elliott Goat, The Week Uk, theweek, 18 Jan. 2024 The story spans the time between World War I — when the Allies were attempting to hold Russia in their camp against Germany, while also keeping tabs on the evolving Bolshevik revolution — and the end of the Second World War. Elizabeth Powers, National Review, 21 Dec. 2023 The first round of this struggle, in which early Soviet operatives faced off primarily against their British counterparts, started soon after the Bolshevik Revolution. Andrei Soldatov, Foreign Affairs, 27 Dec. 2023 In 1918, having just got married, Singer and his wife, Genia, made their way from Warsaw to Ukraine and Russia, which were experiencing the aftershocks of the Bolshevik revolution. Adam Kirsch, The New Yorker, 27 Nov. 2023 Chopin, whose real name was Erwin Bootz, marries Ruth, a Jew (and a firebrand Bolshevik to boot). Jesse Green, New York Times, 13 Nov. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'Bolshevik.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Russian bol'shevik, from bol'shiĭ greater

First Known Use

1907, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of Bolshevik was in 1907

Dictionary Entries Near Bolshevik

Cite this Entry

“Bolshevik.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Bolshevik. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

Bolshevik

noun
Bol·​she·​vik ˈbōl-shə-ˌvik How to pronounce Bolshevik (audio) ˈbȯl- How to pronounce Bolshevik (audio)
ˈbäl-,
-ˌvēk
plural Bolsheviks or Bolsheviki ˌbōl-shə-ˈvik-ē How to pronounce Bolshevik (audio)
ˌbȯl-,
ˌbäl-,
-ˈvē-kē
1
: a member of the communist party that seized power in Russia by the Revolution of November 1917
2
Bolshevik adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on Bolshevik

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