Bolshevik
Americannoun
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Bolsheviks,
plural
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Bolsheviki
plural
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(in Russia)
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a member of the more radical majority of the Social Democratic Party, 1903–17, advocating immediate and forceful seizure of power by the proletariat.
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(after 1918) a member of the Russian Communist Party.
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(loosely) a member of any Communist party.
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(often lowercase) a contemptuous term used to refer to an extreme radical or revolutionary.
noun
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(formerly) a Russian Communist Compare Menshevik
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any Communist
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humorous (often not capital) any political radical, esp a revolutionary
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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Bolshevismnoun
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anti-Bolsheviknoun
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non-Bolsheviknoun
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Bolshevistadjective
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Bolshevisticadjective
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pro-Bolshevikadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of Bolshevik
1915–20; < Russian bolʾshevík, equivalent to bólʾsh ( iĭ ) larger, greater (comparative of bolʾshóĭ large; compare bolʾshinstvó majority) + -evik, variant of -ovik noun suffix; cf. Menshevik
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:
In 1917 the Bund had to choose between the Bolshevik Revolution and the Balfour Declaration, the British proposal for a Jewish “national home” in Palestine.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
In the years after Russia’s Bolshevik Revolution of 1917, many Russian Jews supported and participated in the country that became known as the Soviet Union.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 22, 2024
They married on 25 October 1980, which was, Su was fond of pointing out, the anniversary of the Bolshevik revolution.
From BBC ● May 18, 2024
The parade was held in Poland’s capital, which was vastly destroyed during World War II, on the anniversary of the 1920 Battle of Warsaw, in which Polish troops defeated Bolshevik forces advancing on Europe.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 15, 2023
In October 1917 the radical Bolshevik Party took advantage of people’s anger over World War I and overthrew the Provisional Government.
From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein
It was thought extremely unlikely that he could prove that Clemenceau actually did refuse military aid to the Bolsheviki, although Sadoul averred that documentary evidence existed.
From Time Magazine Archive
These latter remarks presumably referred to the fact that in 1919-20 the U. S. nation engaged in a widespread Radical-hunt, and "Bolsheviki" became a common epithet for one small boy to hurl at another.
From Time Magazine Archive
The Princess Dagmar married Alexander III, becoming Tsarina of All the Russias, gave birth to the last Tsar Nicholas II, escaped the Bolsheviki, and now resides once more at Copenhagen.
From Time Magazine Archive
He belonged to the "Lesser Group" or "Mensheviki" of his party, in contradistinction of the "Larger Group" or "Bolsheviki."
From Time Magazine Archive
Here the Bolsheviki did not gain control, though they continued the same agitation which had been carried on up in Petrograd for so many months.
In June 1918 the Bolsheviks nationalized the oil industry.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026
Surviving relatives of Tsar Nicholas II also lived there after fleeing to the UK, following the murder of other family members by Bolsheviks in 1918.
From BBC ● Oct. 27, 2025
Leadership values change, but being placed under permanent house arrest by the Bolsheviks at the luxury Hotel Metropol in “A Gentleman in Moscow” doesn’t stop Alexander from dressing the aristocratic part.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 18, 2024
The gold was confiscated after the Bolsheviks seized power in Russia in 1917.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 14, 2024
This “feverish condition” was ignited in 1917 when a well-organized and militant political party known as the Bolsheviks staged a successful revolution in Russia and took over the government.
From "1919 The Year That Changed America" by Martin W. Sandler
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