Havel

American  

[hah-vel] / ˈhɑ vɛl /

noun

1. Václav 1936–2011, Czech writer and political leader: president of Czechoslovakia 1989–92; president of the Czech Republic 1993–2003.

---

Havel ¹ British  

/ ˈhaːfəl /

noun

1. a river in E Germany, flowing south to Berlin, then west and north to join the River Elbe. Length: about 362 km (225 miles)

---

Havel ² British  

/ ˈhavɛl /

noun

1. Václav (ˈvʌtslav). 1936–2011, Czech dramatist and statesman: founder of the Civil Forum movement for political change: president of Czechoslovakia (1989–92) and of the Czech Republic (1993–2003). His plays include The Garden Party (1963) and Redevelopment (1989)

---

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Havel

Bohumil Havel, a business law expert from Prague's Charles University, said the statutes were "complicated" and enabled "multiple interpretations".

From Barron's ● Mar. 12, 2026

Havel tells the apocryphal story of a greengrocer who refuses to place a sign proclaiming “Workers of the world, unite!” in his shop window.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 30, 2026

Carney’s speech referenced a landmark 1978 essay by Czech dissident and later president, Václav Havel, called “The Power of the Powerless.”

From Salon ● Jan. 20, 2026

But the choice that Havel set out — of living within a lie or living within the truth — is as potent as ever.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2025

Havel had said that people struggling for independence wanted money and recognition from other countries; they wanted more criticism of the Soviet empire from the West and more diplomatic pressure.

From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson