Stalin

[ stah-lin, -leen, stal-in; Russian stah-lyin ]

/ ˈstɑ lɪn, -lin, ˈstæl ɪn; Russian ˈstɑ lyɪn /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for Stalin on Thesaurus.com

noun

Joseph V. Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili or Dzugashvili, 1879–1953, Soviet political leader: secretary general of the Communist Party 1922–53; premier of the U.S.S.R. 1941–53.

a former name of Donetsk.

former name of Varna.

former name of Braşov.

QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!

Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

who

whom

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Words nearby Stalin

St. Albans, St. Albert, stale, stale bull, stalemate, Stalin, Stalinabad, Stalingrad, Stalingrad, Battle of, Stalinism, Stalinist

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use Stalin in a sentence

It represents the return of Stalin’s practices – the forced confessions, the ruined fates, the isolation, the absolutely trumped-up charges.
'We're At War.' Nobel Peace Prize Winner Dmitry Muratov on the Fight for the Free Press in Russia|Simon Shuster|December 8, 2021|Time
Within a few years, working with Stalin and others, Lysenko was well on the way to purging Mendelian geneticists from the ranks of Soviet science, having them fired or thrown into prison if they did not swear allegiance to Lysenko’s views.
The Botanist Who Defied Stalin - Issue 99: Universality|Lee Alan Dugatkin|April 21, 2021|Nautilus
State-controlled footage of New Year’s eve celebrations showing happy workers dancing and drinking to the health of Stalin painted the picture of a more prosperous era.
How Soviet Russia Banished Their Version of Santa Claus, Then Brought Him Back to Spread Communist Cheer|Madeline Roache|December 24, 2020|Time
Suny, like most who have written about Stalin in the past three decades or more, finds gaping holes in that old approach.
Did Stalin’s rise to power foretell the butchery that came next?|Robert Service|October 30, 2020|Washington Post

Stalin was one of the party’s leaders who got Lenin to moderate his rhetoric.
Did Stalin’s rise to power foretell the butchery that came next?|Robert Service|October 30, 2020|Washington Post
Stalin, now one of the top men in the party, was sent there by Lenin to ensure that grain was getting shipped to Moscow.
Kotkin Biography Reveals Stalin's Evil Pragmatism|William O’Connor|November 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A childhood friend of his, Ioseb Iremashvili, said Stalin “was devoted to only one person—his mother.”
Kotkin Biography Reveals Stalin's Evil Pragmatism|William O’Connor|November 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Later in life, Stalin would add one, and only one person, to his list of those he cared about.
Kotkin Biography Reveals Stalin's Evil Pragmatism|William O’Connor|November 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Few sore losers could wield sharp words quite like Leon Trotsky, especially when talking about Joseph Stalin.
Kotkin Biography Reveals Stalin's Evil Pragmatism|William O’Connor|November 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Stalin may not have written the Pravda piece himself—it was unsigned—but without question he had approved it.
When Stalin Met Lady Macbeth|Brian Moynahan|November 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Ye've been stalin a pauper—a pair iv 'em, faith—an' ye must answer fur it wid yer life to owld Belcher.
Sevenoaks|J. G. Holland
They aim to pull Joe Stalin off his clinker-picking job and make him secretary here.
Satan and the Comrades|Ralph Bennitt
He insisted that what little he might be able to tell Stalin wouldn't help at all.
Dave Dawson on the Russian Front|R. Sidney Bowen
And there will be an expression of deep sorrow from Premier Joseph Stalin, too.
Dave Dawson on the Russian Front|R. Sidney Bowen
Not even Hearst has accused Stalin of irregularity in his private life.
Class of '29|Orrie Lashin and Milo Hastings

British Dictionary definitions for Stalin (1 of 2)

Stalin¹

/ (ˈstɑːlɪn) /

noun

Also called: Stalino a former name (from after the Revolution until 1961) of Donetsk

the former name (1950–61) of Braşov

the former name (1949–56) of Varna

British Dictionary definitions for Stalin (2 of 2)

Stalin²

/ (ˈstɑːlɪn) /

noun

Joseph . original name Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili . 1879–1953, Soviet leader; general secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (1922–53). He succeeded Lenin as head of the party and created a totalitarian state, crushing all opposition, esp in the great purges of 1934–37. He instigated rapid industrialization and the collectivization of agriculture and established the Soviet Union as a world power

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