proletariat

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noun pro·le·tar·i·at \ˌprō-lə-ˈter-ē-ət, -ē-ˌat\

Definition of proletariat

1 : the laboring class; especially : the class of industrial workers who lack their own means of production and hence sell their labor to live
2 : the lowest social or economic class of a community

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Examples of proletariat in a Sentence

the Bolsheviks believed that Russia's discontented proletariat made that nation ripe for revolution

Recent Examples of proletariat from the Web

Red Army troops beat and starved the proletariat into submission.

— terry hartle, The Christian Science Monitor, "'The Russian Revolution' is a superb account of this seminal event", 1 June 2017
The Chevrolet Bolt, the proletariat machine that beat his nascent Model 3 to market by the better part of a year, is, well, not bolting at all.

— kyle stock, Bloomberg.com, "Chevy’s Bolt Creeps Along While Tesla Readies For a Sprint", 1 June 2017
Proudly declaring uncompromising war on art under the dictatorship of the proletariat, Comrade Olsen sells his works without hesitation.

— bruce sterling, WIRED, "Spime Watch: Ur-Spimes", 19 June 2008

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'proletariat'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.