pogrom
Americannoun
noun
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Pogroms were common in Russia during the nineteenth century.
Etymology
Origin of pogrom
1880–85; (< Yiddish ) < Russian pogróm literally, destruction, devastation (of a town, country, etc., as in war), noun derivative of pogromít’, equivalent to po- perfective prefix + gromít’ to destroy, devastate, derivative of grom thunder
Explanation
The organized destruction of an ethnic group is called a pogrom. The word comes to English via the similar Yiddish and Russian words; pogrom literally means "devastation." In many Russian pogroms in the late 1800s and early 1900s, the mob attacked Jews — burning their homes and synagogues. Thousands of Jews were killed during these attacks, and many more fled them by emigrating to other countries, including the United States. Pogroms against Jews occurred in countries other than Russia, including Argentina, Romania, Poland, and Libya. Other ethnic groups, including Armenians, were also the target of pogroms in the early twentieth century.
Vocabulary lists containing pogrom
The Diary of a Young Girl
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Wonder
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Maus I: My Father Bleeds History
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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.
Several participants in the commemoration were draped in Israeli and EU flags, as they paid their respects at a monument erected in 2001 to mark the site of the pogrom.
From Barron's ● Jul. 10, 2026
The United States condemned the events, which a State Department spokesperson said had "looked like a pogrom."
From Reuters ● Oct. 30, 2023
The term "pogrom" refers to violent and organised attacks against Jews, and is particularly associated with pre-Second World War eastern Europe.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2023
She recalled hearing glass shattering on Kristallnacht, the pogrom in November 1938 that marked a turning point in Hitler’s persecution of Jews in Europe.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 17, 2023
The Glukhov pogrom, which has attained such sad notoriety, started on February 28, 1918, after a Bolshevist detachment had entered the city.
From The Jew and American Ideals by Spargo, John
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
