Mandela

American  

[man-del-uh] / mænˈdɛl ə /

noun

1. Nelson (Rolihlahla) Madiba, 1918–2013, South African Black antiapartheid activist: president of South Africa 1994–99.

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Mandela British  

/ mænˈdɛlə /

noun

1. Nelson ( Rolihlahla ). born 1918, Black South African statesman: president of South Africa (1994–99). Jailed in 1962 for 5 years and, in 1964, for life, he was released in 1990 after a long international campaign; deputy president of the African National Congress (1990–91) and president (1991–97); elected president of South Africa in 1994; Nobel peace prize jointly with F. W. de Klerk in 1993

2. ( Numzano ) Winnie . born 1934, Black South African political activist: campaigned for the release of her husband Nelson Mandela; they divorced in 1996

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Example Sentences

He has asked her to bring him books by Nelson Mandela, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and José Martí, who fought for Cuba’s independence from Spain.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 29, 2026

The 30-year-old, bidding to add to her two Olympic gold medals, cited a quote from Nelson Mandela, which had been used by South Africa-born Oscar-winning actress Charlize Theron during the opening ceremony on Friday.

From Barron's • Feb. 9, 2026

Leaders like Mahatma Gandhi in India and later Nelson Mandela in South Africa deployed disciplined nonviolence, chosen not because violence was unthinkable but because repression was predictable.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 16, 2026

Since then he has risen to prominence in TV show The Wire and established a film career, with starring roles in Beasts of No Nation and Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom among others.

From BBC • Dec. 29, 2025

She suspected that Scythes Mandela and Meir were on her side, and that the irritable one was not.

From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman