Bolshevik

noun

Bol·​she·​vik ˈbōl-shə-ˌvik 

ˈbȯl-,

ˈbäl-,

-ˌvēk 

plural Bolsheviks also Bolsheviki ˌbōl-shə-ˈvi-kē 

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

: communist sense 3

Bolshevik adjective

Examples of Bolshevik in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In the Paramount+ series, McGregor plays Russian aristocrat Alexander Rostov, who avoids being put to death as he is placed on house arrest during the Bolshevik Revolution. —Esther Kang, People.com, 6 Jan. 2025

Earlier in the Russian Revolution, the Communist Party, led by Vladimir Lenin, had been called the Bolshevik Party. —Mark Jones, The Arizona Republic, 30 Dec. 2024

If such a figure had actually existed, the Russian Revolution may have gone very differently, to the chagrin of Romanov and Bolshevik alike. —Sean T. Collins, New York Times, 25 Nov. 2024

This episode, too, touched upon my family: in 1918, my father, a member of the Royal Naval Reserve, boarded a gunboat on its way to join American, French, and other Allied contingents to fight against Bolshevik forces in Murmansk, one of the towns featured in Taub’s piece. —The New Yorker, 7 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Russian bol'shevik, from bol'shiĭ greater

First Known Use

1907, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing Bolshevik

• anti-Bolshevik

Kids Definition

Bolshevik

noun

Bol·​she·​vik ˈbōl-shə-ˌvik  ˈbȯl- 

ˈbäl-,

-ˌvēk

plural Bolsheviks or Bolsheviki ˌbōl-shə-ˈvik-ē 

ˌbȯl-,

ˌbäl-,

-ˈvē-kē

1

: a member of the communist party that seized power in Russia by the Revolution of November 1917

2

: communist sense 2

Bolshevik adjective