Brezhnev

American  

[brezh-nef, brye-zhnyif] / ˈbrɛʒ nɛf, ˈbryɛ ʒnyɪf /

noun

1. Leonid Ilyich 1906–82, Russian political leader: first secretary of the Soviet Communist Party 1964–66; general secretary 1966–82; president of the Soviet Union 1960–64, 1977–82.

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Brezhnev British  

/ ˈbrɛʒnɛf, ˈbrjɛʒnɪf /

noun

1. Leonid Ilyich (lɪaˈnit ˈilitʃ). 1906–82, Soviet statesman; president of the Soviet Union (1977–82); general secretary of the Soviet Communist Party (1964–82)

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Example Sentences

Corruption and organized crime have been endemic in the former Soviet space since the Brezhnev era.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 21, 2025

It was the first East-West security agreement since the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty on nuclear weapons signed by Jimmy Carter and Leonid I. Brezhnev in 1979.

From New York Times • Mar. 21, 2024

After, the two teams toured the world together, meeting President Gerald Ford and Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 18, 2024

Yet for more than 200 years, Russia’s governance had been autocratic and every ruler from Catherine the Great to Leonid Brezhnev had achieved domestic stability through incessant foreign expansion.

From Salon • Mar. 17, 2024

I guess that was sort of comforting—and I bet it made Leonid Brezhnev tremble in his boots—especially if he really did have it in for Camillo Junior High.

From "The Wednesday Wars" by Gary D. Schmidt