Usually the Iron Curtain the Cold War barrier created by political, ideological, and military hostility between Western democracies on the one hand and the Soviet Union and its allies on the other, preventing mutual understanding and the exchange of ideas, travel, etc..
Even when I was living behind the Iron Curtain, some popular music seeped through from the West.
any barrier preventing the passage of ideas or understanding, especially an ideological, philosophical, or cultural barrier that divides countries, groups of people, or individuals.
An iron curtain between theoreticians and creative artists prevented either group from appreciating the contributions of the other.
an impenetrable barrier to communication or information imposed by rigid censorship or secrecy.
The incident is a growing embarrassment for the country on the international stage, meaning that an iron curtain must fall on the subject.
Theater. a safety curtain made of iron or other metal.
The expression Iron Curtain was coined by Winston Churchill, who was prime minister of Britain in World War II. Churchill first used the term soon after the war, when the Soviet Union was beginning to carry out its plans for postwar dominance of eastern Europe.
Used in 1946 by Sir Winston Churchill to describe the line of demarcation between Western Europe and the Soviet zone of influence
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Even as Iran completes a digital iron curtain certain to further stymie research collaborations with the West, it’s encouraging its scientists to forge closer ties with China and Russia.
From Science Magazine ● Sep. 11, 2023
“They were not designed for a situation in which an iron curtain descends,” he said.
From New York Times ● Jan. 27, 2023
“When it comes to producing, there’s been a real iron curtain — a lot of withholding information, a lack of mentorship and an amount of gatekeeping,” adds Sussman.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2022
“But it still shocked me just how quickly this new informational iron curtain has descended.”
From Washington Times ● Apr. 26, 2022
“An iron curtain has descended across the Continent,” declared Winston Churchill, Britain’s prime minister during World War II, while visiting America in 1946.
From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin
But pro-Soviet intellectuals ostracized him when he dared to speak honestly about life behind the Iron Curtain.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 8, 2026
In the four years since the war began, Russia's digital Iron Curtain has become increasingly hard to bypass.
From BBC ● Mar. 27, 2026
During the Cold War, which split Germany in two, large armies on both sides of the Iron Curtain relied heavily on conscription to fill the active ranks and create large military reserves.
From Barron's ● Oct. 18, 2025
After all, she was born Melanija Knavs behind the Iron Curtain in what was then the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
From Salon ● Aug. 19, 2025
Totalitarian systems depend on a monopoly of information and force, and too much information started to slip through the Iron Curtain, thanks to the spread of fax machines, telephones, and, eventually, the personal computer.
From "The World Is Flat" by Thomas L. Friedman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
