Mugabe

American

[moo-gah-bee, -bey] / muˈgɑ bi, -beɪ /

noun

Robert (Gabriel), 1924–2019, Zimbabwean political leader: prime minister 1980–87; president 1987–2017.

Mugabe British

/ mʊˈɡɑːbɪ /

noun

Robert. born 1925, Zimbabwean politician; leader of one wing of the Patriotic Front against the government of Ian Smith of Rhodesia, and of the Zanu party; prime minister (1980–87); president from 1987

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

Her plans fell apart when Mugabe was deposed after he sacked then Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa in November 2017.

From BBC • Mar. 11, 2026

Appearing in court, dressed in black, Mugabe looked calm during the proceedings.

From BBC • Feb. 23, 2026

Police are not yet officially naming Bellarmine Mugabe as one of those arrested, but reporters at the scene saw him in handcuffs and he has been widely named by local media.

From BBC • Feb. 19, 2026

Mnangagwa came to power in 2017 in a military-backed coup that ousted Robert Mugabe, who ruled the southern African country for 37 years.

From Barron's • Feb. 11, 2026

“We have now decided to narrow the support to only vulnerable refugees,” Geoffrey Mugabe, a senior official in the Ugandan prime minister’s office, said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 30, 2025

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023