Rumsfeld

American

[ruhmz-feld] / ˈrʌmz fɛld /

noun

Donald, 1932–2021, U.S. secretary of defense 1975–77, 2001–06.

Rumsfeld British

/ ˈrʌmz-, ˈrʌmsˌfɛlt /

noun

Donald (Henry) . born 1932, US Republican politician and businessman: Secretary of Defense (2001–06)

"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.

The following year, he met Donald H. Rumsfeld, who had recently been appointed to helm President Richard Nixon’s anti-poverty office.

From Salon • Nov. 5, 2025

After Nixon resigned in 1974, Gerald Ford appointed Rumsfeld to head his transition team.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 4, 2025

Realizing that the Iraq war was going badly, he fired Rumsfeld and replaced him with an old favorite of his father’s, former CIA Director Robert Gates.

From Slate • Nov. 4, 2025

After Ford succeeded Nixon in the wake of Watergate, Rumsfeld served as chief of staff, with Cheney at his side.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 4, 2025

Rumsfeld mentored Cheney, first in the OEO, and then in the Ford White House.

From BBC • Nov. 4, 2025

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