Holodomor

American  

[hoh-luh-duh-mawr, hoh-luh-duh-mawr, hoh-loh-doh-mawr] / ˈhoʊ lə dəˌmɔr, ˌhoʊ lə dəˈmɔr, hoʊ loʊ doʊˈmɔr /

noun

1. the Holodomor, a severe famine in Ukraine (1932–33), exacerbated by a series of punitive measures taken against the country by the Soviets and leading to the death of almost four million Ukrainians from hunger.

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Etymology

Origin of Holodomor

First recorded in 1930–35; from Ukrainian holodmór “death by hunger, starvation,” from hólod “hunger” + mor “extermination”

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Holodomor

Ukrainians have termed their own word for the barrage -- "Kholodomor", a reference to the Holodomor, the 1930s famine orchestrated by Soviet leader Joseph Stalin that Kyiv considers a genocide.

From Barron's ● Feb. 10, 2026

The event - called the Holodomor by Ukrainians - killed an estimated 5 million people and was recognised as a genocide earlier this week in Bulgaria.

From BBC ● Feb. 2, 2023

Russian authorities in October dismantled Mariupol’s memorial to victims of the Holodomor, the Soviet-engineered famine in the 1930s that killed millions of Ukrainians, according to video posted on Russian television.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 21, 2022

Several European countries, including the ex-Soviet Baltic States, also recognise the Holodomor as a genocide.

From Reuters ● Dec. 1, 2022

Ukraine commemorated the 90th anniversary of the Holodomor, a 1932 famine engineered by Stalin.

From New York Times ● Nov. 27, 2022