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Gorbachev

American  
[gawr-buh-chof, -chawf, guhr-buh-chawf] / ˈgɔr bəˌtʃɒf, -ˌtʃɔf, gər bʌˈtʃɔf /

noun

  1. Mikhail S(ergeyevich) 1931–2022, Soviet political leader: general secretary of the Communist Party 1985–91; the last president of the Soviet Union 1988–91; Nobel Peace Prize 1990.


Gorbachev British  
/ ɡərbaˈtʃɒf /

noun

  1. Mikhail Sergeevich (mixaˈil sirˈɡjejivitʃ). born 1931, Soviet statesman; general secretary of the Soviet Communist Party (1985–91): president (1988–91). Nobel peace prize 1990. His reforms ended the Communist monopoly of power and led to the break-up of the Soviet Union

"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

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To justify their reforms, Khrushchev and later Mikhail Gorbachev claimed to be returning to true, humane Leninism.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 10, 2026

By 1987, amid the liberal reforms under Mikhail Gorbachev, Natalia Rubinstein was in London reading BBC news bulletins instead of just listening to them.

From BBC Mar. 27, 2026

Margaret Thatcher died in 2013, Helmut Kohl in 2017 and Mikhail Gorbachev in 2022.

From The Wall Street Journal Feb. 13, 2026

“The sticking point was always the Strategic Defense Initiative, which Reagan thinks is essential and Gorbachev thinks is a deal-breaker in their common cause of eliminating nuclear weapons,” Wilson says.

From Slate Feb. 2, 2026

Astonishingly, one of the main instigators was Mikhail Gorbachev.

From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau

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