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• Kremlin
  Kremlin

  noun

  the Kremlin,
• kremlin
  kremlin

  noun

  the citadel of any Russian city

Kremlin

American  

[krem-lin] / ˈkrɛm lɪn /

noun

1. the Kremlin,

   1. the executive branch of the government of Russia or of the Soviet Union, especially in regard to its foreign affairs.

   2. the citadel of Moscow, including within its walls the chief offices of the Russian and, formerly, of the Soviet government.

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Kremlin ¹ British  

/ ˈkrɛmlɪn /

noun

1. the 12th-century citadel in Moscow, containing the former Imperial Palace, three Cathedrals, and the offices of the Russian government

2. (formerly) the central government of the Soviet Union

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kremlin ² British  

/ ˈkrɛmlɪn /

noun

1. the citadel of any Russian city

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Kremlin Cultural  

1. A fortress in central Moscow that contains the central offices of the government of Russia and, formerly, the offices of the Soviet Union.

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Discover More

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

See Examples For:

Kremlin kremlin

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

Its sprawling kremlin is, next to Moscow's own, the most spectacular in Russia.

From Time Magazine Archive

Ancient Pskov, with its dilapidated, mossy-walled kremlin, was still the Red Army's prime target.

From Time Magazine Archive

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