KGB

American  

Or K.G.B.

1. the intelligence and internal-security agency of the former Soviet Union, organized in 1954 and responsible for enforcement of security regulations, protection of political leaders, the guarding of borders, and clandestine operations abroad.

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KGB British  

abbreviation

1. the former Soviet secret police, founded in 1954 Compare GRU

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KGB Cultural  

1. The secret police of the former Soviet Union.

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Etymology

Origin of KGB

< Russian, for K ( omitét ) g ( osudárstvennoĭ ) b ( ezopásnosti ) Committee for State Security

Example Sentences

As a KGB operative and then an assiduous apparatchik, he avoided attention.

From BBC • May 30, 2026

Dmitri had to give up his dream of joining the KGB when his hope that the new president, Boris Yeltsin, would be removed by the remnants of the Communist regime were dashed.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 26, 2026

Twila charges in headfirst without concern for the consequences, whether it’s setting a bar on fire to escape the notice of KGB or brazenly approaching Russian sources.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 15, 2026

For decades, the Cuban secret service, trained during the Soviet era by the KGB, enjoyed a reputation for invincibility.

From Barron's • Jan. 10, 2026

As the interrogation unfolded, however, he was no less astonished that Marti Peterson was a CIA spy than the KGB agents assembled around them.

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