Verwoerd

American

[fuhr-voort] / fərˈvurt /

noun

Hendrik Frensch 1901–66, South African political leader, born in the Netherlands: prime minister 1958–66.

Verwoerd British

/ fəˈvʊt, fɛəˈvʊət /

noun

Hendrik Frensch (ˈhɛndrɪk frɛns). 1901–66, South African statesman, born in the Netherlands: prime minister of South Africa (1958–66) and the principal architect of the apartheid system: assassinated

"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

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 instance, the name of former Prime Minister Hendrik Verwoerd, a key figure in implementing apartheid, has been removed from many places.

From BBC • Oct. 11, 2025

“As long as the ANC gets more than 55 percent, things will be okay for Ramaphosa inside the ANC,” Verwoerd said.

From Reuters • May 9, 2019

It was only two years ago that a plaque commemorating Verwoerd was removed from a university building following a concerted activist campaign.

From The Guardian • Aug. 19, 2017

Mr Boschoff inherited the town from his father Carel Boschoff Snr, an Afrikaner intellectual and son-in-law of apartheid architect, Hendrik Verwoerd.

From BBC • Oct. 5, 2014

Verwoerd did not reply, except to describe my letter in Parliament as “arrogant.”

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

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