soviet

noun so·vi·et \ ˈsō-vē-ˌet , ˈsä- , -vē-ət \

1 : an elected governmental council in a Communist country

2 Soviets plural

a : bolsheviks

b : the people and especially the political and military leaders of the U.S.S.R.

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soviet

adjective, often capitalized

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sovietism

play \ˈsō-vē-ə-ˌti-zəm, ˈsä-\ noun, often capitalized

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Examples of soviet in a Sentence

disputes between Americans and Soviets
The plan was opposed by the Soviets.

Recent Examples of soviet from the Web

This cultural tendency produced little soviets in the factories and barracks, which came together in a big Soviet in Petrograd; and suddenly The People, stomped-down for centuries, emerged as a living entity.

— olga ingurazova, Smithsonian, "What Ever Happened to the Russian Revolution?," 29 Sep. 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of soviet

Russian sovet council, soviet

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First Known Use: 1917

in the meaning defined at sense 1

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SOVIET Defined for English Language Learners

soviet

noun

: an elected council in the former U.S.S.R.
Soviets : the people and especially the political and military leaders of the former U.S.S.R.

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