Bolshevik

noun

Bol·​she·​vik ˈbōl-shə-ˌvik 

ˈbȯl-, 

ˈbäl-, 

-ˌvēk 

plural Bolsheviks also Bolsheviki ˌbōl-shə-ˈvi-kē 

ˌbȯl-, 

ˌbäl-, 

-ˈvē-kē

1

: a member of the extremist wing of the Russian Social Democratic party that seized power in Russia by the Revolution of November 1917

2

: communist sense 3

Bolshevik adjective

Examples of Bolshevik in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

After the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917, the Jewish section of the Communist Party, or Yevsektsiya, would systematically dismantle Jewish life, as synagogues and the Hebrew language itself were branded as Zionist. — Adam Louis-Klein, The Atlantic, 18 June 2026

The bureaucratic coldness of Bolshevik Communism and the violent regressions of Fascism were yet worse. — Alex Ross, New Yorker, 15 June 2026

This new book is looking at a revolution in a major key, at the Bolshevik Revolution and its impact on black people’s lives. — Emily Watlington, ARTnews.com, 10 June 2026

The year is 1919, the midst of Bolshevik takeover in Ukraine, and twenty-eight Red Army soldiers have vanished into thin air, last seen at a bathhouse. — The New Yorker, New Yorker, 8 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Russian bol'shevik, from bol'shiĭ greater

First Known Use

1907, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing Bolshevik

• anti-Bolshevik

Rhymes for Bolshevik

• actinic
• agnatic
• bailiwick
• candlestick
• deontic
• firebrick
• herpetic
• judaic
• lunatic
• menshevik
• orthotic
• politic

Kids Definition

Bolshevik

noun

Bol·​she·​vik ˈbōl-shə-ˌvik  ˈbȯl- 

ˈbäl-, 

-ˌvēk

plural Bolsheviks or Bolsheviki ˌbōl-shə-ˈvik-ē 

ˌbȯl-, 

ˌbäl-, 

-ˈvē-kē

1

: a member of the communist party that seized power in Russia by the Revolution of November 1917

2

: communist sense 2

Bolshevik adjective