Kremlin
Americannoun
noun
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the 12th-century citadel in Moscow, containing the former Imperial Palace, three Cathedrals, and the offices of the Russian government
-
(formerly) the central government of the Soviet Union
noun
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The term Kremlin was also used figuratively to mean the former Soviet government.
Etymology
Origin of Kremlin
First recorded in 1655–65; earlier Kremelien, from German (now obsolete), from Old Russian kremlĭnŭ (unrecorded), derivative of kremlĭ “citadel” (modern Russian kremlʾ ), of disputed origin; perhaps akin to Old Russian Kromŭ, the citadel of Pskov, Ukrainian króma “partition,” Russian kromá, krómka “edge, border”; alternatively, perhaps of Turkic origin, akin to Turkish kermen “castle”
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The vital Ukrainian port of Odesa has many faces: a seaside resort, a center of culture and an economic prize coveted by the Kremlin.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026
The Kremlin confirmed earlier in July that it was in contact with Turkey about the S-400.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026
Cracking down on the shadow economy has become a key goal for the Kremlin.
From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026
The spike comes amid a wave of Ukrainian drone attacks, which have repeatedly led the Kremlin to shut down mobile internet across large swathes of the country, leaving many unable to pay by card.
From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026
News of the atomic bomb quickly reached Joseph Stalin, the supreme ruler of the Soviet Union, at his headquarters in the Kremlin, in Moscow's Red Square.
From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau
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Its sprawling kremlin is, next to Moscow's own, the most spectacular in Russia.
From Time Magazine Archive
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Ancient Pskov, with its dilapidated, mossy-walled kremlin, was still the Red Army's prime target.
From Time Magazine Archive
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The douma invited the hetman to occupy the kremlin with his shoulders.
From The Story of Russia by Bergen, R. Van
The town above with its kremlin, whose circumference measures two versts, and which resembles that of Moscow, was altogether abandoned.
From Michael Strogoff Or, The Courier of the Czar by Verne, Jules
If now we cross over to the other side of the river, we are at once confronted by something which very few Russian towns possess—a kremlin, or citadel.
From Russia by Wallace, Donald Mackenzie, Sir
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.