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Mandela

American  
[man-del-uh] / mænˈdɛl ə /

noun

  1. Nelson (Rolihlahla) Madiba, 1918–2013, South African Black antiapartheid activist: president of South Africa 1994–99.


Mandela British  
/ mænˈdɛlə /

noun

  1. Nelson ( Rolihlahla ). born 1918, Black South African statesman: president of South Africa (1994–99). Jailed in 1962 for 5 years and, in 1964, for life, he was released in 1990 after a long international campaign; deputy president of the African National Congress (1990–91) and president (1991–97); elected president of South Africa in 1994; Nobel peace prize jointly with F. W. de Klerk in 1993

  2. ( Numzano ) Winnie . born 1934, Black South African political activist: campaigned for the release of her husband Nelson Mandela; they divorced in 1996

"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

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.

He has asked her to bring him books by Nelson Mandela, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and José Martí, who fought for Cuba’s independence from Spain.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 29, 2026

In San Francisco, Anthropic fans wielded brightly colored sidewalk chalk to ornament the pavement outside of the company’s office with messages of thanks, laudatories such as “You are patriots” and references to Nelson Mandela.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 3, 2026

The 30-year-old, bidding to add to her two Olympic gold medals, cited a quote from Nelson Mandela, which had been used by South Africa-born Oscar-winning actress Charlize Theron during the opening ceremony on Friday.

From Barron's • Feb. 9, 2026

When South Africa ushered in democratic rule with Nelson Mandela elected president, the two were merged and the name conjoined.

From BBC • Jan. 31, 2026

“But that’s not the most damning evidence,” said Scythe Mandela.

From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman