Stalin

American  

[stah-lin, -leen, stal-in, stah-lyin] / ˈstɑ lɪn, -lin, ˈstæl ɪn, ˈstɑ ljɪn /

noun

1. 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.

2. a former name of Donetsk.

3. former name of Varna.

4. former name of Braşov.

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Stalin ¹ British  

/ ˈstɑːlɪn /

noun

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

2. the former name (1950–61) of Braşov

3. the former name (1949–56) of Varna

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Stalin ² British  

/ ˈstɑːlɪn /

noun

1. 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

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Stalin

He shadowboxes with ostriches and brings in celebrities like Rick Ross and Naomi Campbell for IBA events; he praises Stalin and rides private jets.

From Salon ● Sep. 14, 2026

It was moved to its current location in 1950 by Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026

When Mao Zedong visited Moscow in 1950 to forge the Sino-Soviet alliance, Soviet propaganda posters depicted Stalin as slightly taller than Mao—a carefully calibrated signal of who was the elder brother.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026

Even after the death of Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin in 1953, the stigma attached to former PoWs did not disappear overnight.

From BBC ● May 5, 2026

Here’s what’s so hard for us to understand today: The ruthless, paranoid Josef Stalin, by then the uncontested leader of the USSR, commanded a bizarre and absolute power over his people.

From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein

Related Words

• autocrat
• bully
• despot
• dictator
• oppressor