Russian

noun

Rus·​sian ˈrə-shən 

1

a

: a native or inhabitant of Russia

b

: a member of the dominant Slavic-speaking ethnic group of Russia

c

: a person of Russian descent

2

: a Slavic language of the Russian people spoken as a second language by many non-Russian ethnic groups of the Soviet Union and its successor states

Russian adjective

Russianness

ˈrə-shən-nəs 

noun

Examples of Russian in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Lavrov had been at the summit site earlier in the day wearing a sweatshirt that said CCCP, which stands for USSR in Russian. —Francesca Chambers, USA Today, 18 Aug. 2025

Additionally, the Russian Federation was suspended from the UN Human Rights Council. —Mark Temnycky, Forbes.com, 16 Aug. 2025

Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has resulted in Russia taking Ukrainian children out of their country so that they can be raised as Russian. —Josh Boak, Twin Cities, 16 Aug. 2025

At the very least, Darren Star should confirm that Carrie would absolutely use World War III as an excuse to call The Russian. —Indiewire Staff, IndieWire, 16 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1538, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing Russian

• anti-Russian
• Great Russian
• non-Russian
• Russian blue
• Russian dressing
• Russian olive
• Russian roulette
• Russian sage
• Russian thistle
• Russian wolfhound
• White Russian

Rhymes for Russian

• kushan
• belorussian
• repercussion
• byelorussian
• concussion
• discussion
• percussion

Kids Definition

Russian

noun

Rus·​sian ˈrəsh-ən 

1

: a person born or living in Russia

2

: a Slavic language of the Russian people

Russian adjective