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

See Examples For:

Mandela

President Nelson Mandela singled out Cronje in 1996 for the "excellent manner" in which he captained the Proteas.

From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026

Eleven studios recently bid on the film rights to the psychological horror YouTube series “The Mandela Catalogue.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026

In 1995, Michael Atherton led his team to a meeting with Nelson Mandela on England's first tour of South Africa following apartheid.

From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2026

The party of Nelson Mandela, which led South Africa to overcome apartheid, took only 46 percent of ballots nationally, dipping below 50 percent for the first time since the end of white-minority rule in 1994.

From Barron's ● Jun. 25, 2026

Mandela lived on a leafy suburban street in a Mediterranean-style home set behind butter-colored concrete walls.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

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