Russian
Americanadjective
noun
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Russians
plural
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a native or inhabitant of Russia.
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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.
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the Slavic language of this people, written in the Cyrillic alphabet: the official language of Russia or the Russian Federation. Russ, Russ.
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Informal. Russian dressing.
noun
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the official language of Russia: an Indo-European language belonging to the East Slavonic branch
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the official language of the former Soviet Union
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a native or inhabitant of Russia
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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anti-Russianadjective
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half-Russianadjective
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non-Russianadjective
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pro-Russianadjective
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pseudo-Russianadjective
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semi-Russianadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
In his blog, he said the meeting between the first ministers had been "featured with striking prominence" in Russian media.
From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026
A source familiar with the investigation told Reuters that an Iran-linked motive is considered the leading possibility, while Russian sabotage and an Islamist plot are also being examined.
From Salon ● Sep. 27, 2026
The No. 54 is a pastrami and corned beef combo sandwich, dressed in the style of the No. 19, with Swiss cheese, coleslaw and Russian dressing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 27, 2026
With mounting Russian attacks on the capital, his family is in "constant stress" and he tries to distract himself by planting tomatoes.
From Barron's ● Sep. 26, 2026
The exact details of Oleg Penkovsky’s arrest are still hidden away in classified Russian files.
From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin
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Russians are now buying new drone insurance packages that are being offered on top of car or house insurance.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 26, 2026
As the Russians approached, the prisoners were marched to a new location, approximately 1,000 miles away, during which many of them died.
From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026
That made the large contingent of Russians all the more conspicuous.
From Salon ● Sep. 14, 2026
But the restriction on iPhones means tens of millions of Russians -- as many as one in four mobile users -- would potentially be cut off from the technology.
From Barron's ● Sep. 11, 2026
“As we Russians say, they are two boots of the same pair.”
From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin
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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.