soviet
noun
(in the Soviet Union).
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soviet
American
[soh-vee-et, -it, soh-vee-et]
/ ˈsoʊ viˌɛt, -ɪt, ˌsoʊ viˈɛt /
noun
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(in the Soviet Union).
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(before the revolution) any governmental council.
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(after the revolution) a local council, originally elected only by manual workers, with certain powers of local administration.
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(after the revolution) a higher council elected by a local council, being part of a hierarchy of soviets culminating in the Supreme Soviet.
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any similar council or assembly connected with a socialistic governmental system elsewhere.
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(initial capital letter) Often Soviets. a governing official or person living in the Soviet Union.
The Soviets have denied our charge.
adjective
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of or relating to a soviet.
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(initial capital letter) of the Soviet Union.
a Soviet statesman.
soviet
1
British
/ ˈsɒv-, ˈsəʊvɪət /
noun
-
(in the former Soviet Union) an elected government council at the local, regional, and national levels, which culminated in the Supreme Soviet
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(in prerevolutionary Russia) a local revolutionary council
adjective
Soviet
2
British
/ ˈsəʊvɪət, ˈsɒv- /
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of soviet
First recorded in 1915–20; from Russian sovét “council, counsel, advice,” Old Russian, Old Church Slavonic sŭvětŭ, equivalent to sŭ- “together, with” + větŭ “counsel”; loan translation of Greek symboúlion
Explanation
In the former U.S.S.R., a soviet was an elected legislative body, similar to a parliament. Soviet is from the Russian sovet, "governing council," and its Greek source, symboulion, "council of advisors." After the Russian Revolution, the term soviet was used for local governments elected by workers, as well as the higher councils that those local soviets elected in turn. Each separate republic making up the Soviet Union had its own governing soviet, and together they formed the Supreme Soviet, the highest legislative body in the country.
Vocabulary lists containing soviet
Chapter 24: Imperialism and World War I
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Chapters 29–30
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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.
Human rights monitors rank the energy-rich former Soviet republic among the world's most isolated and closed states, alongside Afghanistan and North Korea.
From Barron's • Jun. 5, 2026
To be fair, Brin left Moscow when he was quite young and really may not recall what it was like there — and how little resemblance Soviet Russia could ever have to California.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 1, 2026
His role models were the spy heroes of popular Soviet TV series and movies.
From BBC • May 30, 2026
Much of this support came from the fact that the Soviet government built things, among them one of Moscow’s true wonders, its subway system.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 29, 2026
In his hand was proof that the Soviet Union had active spies here in the United States.
From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin
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.
