Stalin

American  

[stah-lin, -leen, stal-in, stah-lyin] / ˈstɑ lɪn, -lin, ˈstæl ɪn, ˈstɑ lyɪn /

noun

1. Joseph V. Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili or Dzugashvili, 1879–1953, Soviet political leader: secretary general of the Communist Party 1922–53; premier of the U.S.S.R. 1941–53.

2. a former name of Donetsk.

3. former name of Varna.

4. former name of Braşov.

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Stalin ¹ British  

/ ˈstɑːlɪn /

noun

1. Also called: Stalino.  a former name (from after the Revolution until 1961) of Donetsk

2. the former name (1950–61) of Braşov

3. the former name (1949–56) of Varna

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Stalin ² British  

/ ˈstɑːlɪn /

noun

1. Joseph . original name Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili . 1879–1953, Soviet leader; general secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (1922–53). He succeeded Lenin as head of the party and created a totalitarian state, crushing all opposition, esp in the great purges of 1934–37. He instigated rapid industrialization and the collectivization of agriculture and established the Soviet Union as a world power

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Example Sentences

Stalin is being challenged by C. Joseph Vijay, 51, one of India's most bankable actors, especially in Tamil regions.

From Barron's • May 4, 2026

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin said the deaths had caused "immense sorrow" and that he had instructed officials to ensure all necessary assistance.

From BBC • Apr. 20, 2026

And yet, as Daniela Gerson observes in “The Wanderers,” the survival stories of the Jewish refugees under Stalin remain largely unfamiliar.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 7, 2026

An elderly man is tasked with burning the inmates’ letters to Stalin pleading to have their appeals heard.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 26, 2026

He’d been released from prison in 1940, and for his fantastic work on the Petlyakov Pe-2, a brand-new dive-bomber and fighter, he was awarded the Stalin Prize in 1941.

From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein

Related Words

• autocrat
• bully
• despot
• dictator
• oppressor