Russian

American  

[ruhsh-uhn] / ˈrʌʃ ən /

adjective

1. of or relating to Russia, its people, or their language.

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noun

Russians plural

1. a native or inhabitant of Russia.

2. a member of a Slavic people, the dominant ethnic group in the Russian Federation, whose historical homeland lies along the upper Volga and Oka rivers and adjacent areas.

3. the Slavic language of this people, written in the Cyrillic alphabet: the official language of Russia or the Russian Federation. Russ, Russ.

4. Informal. Russian dressing.

Russian British  

/ ˈrʌʃən /

noun

1. the official language of Russia: an Indo-European language belonging to the East Slavonic branch

2. the official language of the former Soviet Union

3. a native or inhabitant of Russia

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of Russia, its people, or their language

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• anti-Russian
  adjective
• half-Russian
  adjective
• non-Russian
  adjective
• pro-Russian
  adjective
• pseudo-Russian
  adjective
• semi-Russian
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• Russians
  plural

Etymology

Origin of Russian

First recorded in 1530–40; from Medieval Latin Russiānus, derivative of Russia, Latinization of Old East Slavic Rusĭ; see origin at Russ, Russia, -an

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Russian Russians

Graham arrived in Kyiv at a moment in the war marked by stepped-up Russian missile and drone attacks against Ukrainian cities.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026

France's foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot said the Russian ambassador would in coming days over the cyber attacks.

From Barron's ● Jul. 13, 2026

U.S. gasoline and diesel futures also surged, pushed higher by Ukraine’s intensifying air campaign against Russian refineries as well as the renewed Hormuz tensions.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026

Russian newspapers believe they have the measure of incoming PM.

From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026

When word of the German action reached the Russian capital, Czar Nicholas, after much hesitation, ordered the full mobilization of Russia’s armed forces.

From "The War to End All Wars: World War I" by Russell Freedman

And as one saying had it: “Rational Germans rely on planning, spiritual Russians on avos’.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026

Russians stood in long lines for staples like bread and milk.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026

It also suggests the number of Russians who believe the country is heading in the right direction has fallen to just 52%, down from 61% in May.

From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026

Among other factors, the report highlighted that 500,000 Russians went bankrupt last year, that as many as 15% of bank loans were nonperforming — and that that number is likely to increase.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 7, 2026

And speaking of “traveler,” what other weapons did the Russians possess that might be able to voyage here to the US?

From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson