KGB

American

Or K.G.B.

the intelligence and internal-security agency of the former Soviet Union, organized in 1954 and responsible for enforcement of security regulations, protection of political leaders, the guarding of borders, and clandestine operations abroad.

KGB British

abbreviation

the former Soviet secret police, founded in 1954 Compare GRU

"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

KGB Cultural

The secret police of the former Soviet Union.

Etymology

Origin of KGB

< Russian, for K ( omitét ) g ( osudárstvennoĭ ) b ( ezopásnosti ) Committee for State Security

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.

As a KGB operative and then an assiduous apparatchik, he avoided attention.

From BBC • May 30, 2026

Putin has said the movie inspired him to join the KGB.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 29, 2026

The top-secret information that Ames shared with his KGB handlers included CIA codes and methods as well as the names of Soviet double agents.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 27, 2026

The monotone transmission recalled the manner in which deep-cover Cold War spies for the KGB and CIA once received orders.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 10, 2026

Eventually, the KGB came up with a scheme that would serve as a kind of smoke screen for Blake's spying on behalf of Russia.

From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau

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