Peter the Great

Cultural  

1. A Russian czar of the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries who tried to transform Russia from a backward nation into a progressive one by introducing customs and ideas from western European countries. He moved the capital of Russia from Moscow to a new city he had built, St. Petersburg, which was renamed Leningrad after the Russian Revolution and has since had its old name restored due to the collapse of communism.

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Example Sentences

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Peter the Great

It is perhaps telling that the czars most honored by Vladimir Putin are those from Peter the Great onward.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026

He has inhaled from somewhere — certainly not from studying history — an immensely dumbed-down version of the philosophy that he imagines drove Napoleon and Hitler, and perhaps Alexander the Great and Peter the Great.

From Salon ● Feb. 23, 2025

The remake of a popular old Soviet-era film features Kirkorov as Peter the Great and the TV channel director has said some of the scenes are being re-shot before it airs.

From BBC ● Dec. 29, 2023

The ministry said the exercise, which included other warships and naval aircraft, took place in the Peter the Great Gulf in the Sea of Japan but did not give more precise coordinates.

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 27, 2023

Originally created in Prussia and gifted to Peter the Great, the Amber Room was a glittering chamber of amber, jewels, gold, and mirrors.

From "Salt to the Sea" by Ruta Sepetys