apparat

American

[ap-uh-rat, ah-puh-raht] / ˌæp əˈræt, ˌɑ pəˈrɑt /

noun

an organization or existing power structure, especially a political one.

a position of leadership within the party apparat; The chess apparat is not eager to change tournament rules.

apparat British

/ ˌæpəˈrɑːt /

noun

the Communist Party organization in the former Soviet Union and other states

"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

Etymology

Origin of apparat

1940–45; < Russian apparát originally, scientific apparatus < German < Latin apparātus. See apparatus

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.

See Examples For:

apparat

The security apparat would weary of the task.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 18, 2025

In the second, he is a complete professional assigned to prevent his apparat from falling into a Russian trap.

From Time Magazine Archive

Otto Latsis, a Moscow political commentator, says Zyuganov heads "the worst part of the old party apparat, the most reactionary fringe."

From Time Magazine Archive

Bertolt Brecht is typical of those who believe that "Kafka described with wonderful imaginative power the future concentration camps, the future instability of the law, the future absolutism of the state apparat."

From Time Magazine Archive

In the meetings of the Prime Ministers and President Wilson le ton était celui de la conversation; nul apparat, nulle pose.

From Peaceless Europe by Nitti, Francesco Saverio

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