Stasi

British

/ ˈstɑːzɪ /

noun

formerly, the secret police in East Germany

"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

Etymology

Origin of Stasi

from German Sta ( ats ) si ( cherheitsdienst ), literally: state security service

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.

For the writing of “Indignity,” Ms. Ypi’s destination is the archives of the Sigurimi, communist Albania’s equivalent of the Stasi or KGB.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 30, 2025

There’s only so much hard evidence for her to work with—the Sigurimi was not as meticulous in its record-keeping as the Stasi.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 30, 2025

This painting is a "very personal" image, in which Kahlo "merges folkloric motifs from Mexican culture with European surrealism," Anna Di Stasi, head of Latin American art at Sotheby's, told AFP.

From Barron's • Nov. 21, 2025

To add to the Stasi effect, the tip line offers snitches anonymity.

From Salon • Apr. 15, 2025

Many people in West Germany hated Wolf, but he was so secretive and elusive that few outside of the Stasi had ever laid eyes on him.

From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023