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• Politburo
  Politburo

  noun

  the executive committee and chief policymaking body of a Communist Party.
• politburo
  politburo

  A commonly used name for those who made the major governmental decisions in the former Soviet Union. A politburo, in general, is the chief committee of a communist party.

Politburo

American  

[pol-it-byoor-oh, poh-lit-, puh-lit-] / ˈpɒl ɪtˌbjʊər oʊ, ˈpoʊ lɪt-, pəˈlɪt- /

Or Politbureau

noun

1. (often lowercase) the executive committee and chief policymaking body of a Communist Party.

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Politburo British  

/ ˈpɒlɪtˌbjʊərəʊ /

noun

1. the executive and policy-making committee of a Communist Party

2. the supreme policy-making authority in most Communist countries

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politburo Cultural  

1. A commonly used name for those who made the major governmental decisions in the former Soviet Union. A politburo, in general, is the chief committee of a communist party.

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Etymology

Origin of Politburo

< Russian politbyuró, shortening of politícheskoe byuró political bureau

Explanation

A committee of communist leaders is a politburo. The Soviet politburo was dissolved when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991. Politburo is a translation of the Russian Politbyuro, shorthand for politicheskoe byuro, or "political bureau." This executive committee is responsible for essentially all policy decisions and holds true power in most communist countries. The original politburo, formed during the 1917 Russian Revolution by the Bolsheviks, included Lenin, Trotsky, and Stalin among its members. China’s current politburo is formally called the Central Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Politburo politburo

Messages from China's Politburo this week "suggest that the policy makers focus on the quality of growth rather than the speed", said Zhiwei Zhang, president and chief economist at Pinpoint Asset Management.

From Barron's ● Jul. 31, 2026

The forward guidance on monetary policy was also non-committal, with the Politburo calling for adjustments when appropriate, he says.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026

The famous “seven up, eight down” convention—under which Politburo members aged 67 or younger could stay while those 68 or older had to retire—was never formally written into party rules, leaving it easily discarded.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 9, 2026

The ruling communist party’s Politburo, China’s top decision-making body, said this week that key economic indicators had beaten expectations at the start of the year.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 30, 2026

KGB general Oleg Kalugin later wrote that the Soviet Politburo believed that Ames "has presented information of such value that he should be paid as much as possible."

From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau

Then came Resolution 68, passed on 4 May last year at a meeting of the politburo, the highest decision-making body between party congresses.

From BBC ● Jan. 23, 2026

The leadership decisions must be finalised at the party congress which runs from January 19-25, when the central committee and powerful politburo will be officially announced.

From Barron's ● Dec. 23, 2025

Even on Reddit’s WallStreetBets forum, there is not a politburo that decides what will get a big rally that week.

From Slate ● May 13, 2024

China’s relatively low-level delegation was headed by Li Hongzhong, a member of China’s ruling Communist Party politburo.

From Washington Times ● Jul. 27, 2023

China pledged to step up stimulus measures as the economy faces what it described as "new" difficulties and a "tortuous" recovery, following a meeting of the powerful politburo of the ruling Communist Party this week.

From Reuters ● Jul. 26, 2023