# soviet

/ˈsoʊviˌɛt/ (US) · /sˈəʊviət/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/soviet
Updated: 2026-08-15

## Senses

### 1. a workers' council

noun · CEFR C1 · Formal · Technical

a council or committee of workers that helped run the government in communist countries like the old Soviet Union.

For teachers: an elected local, district, or national council in the former Soviet Union; originally a revolutionary committee of workers.

- The local soviet met once a week to discuss how to share the food fairly.
- The 1905 revolution saw the emergence of the first workers' soviet, which served as a model for later revolutionary governance.

Usage: Usually refers to historical political structures in Russia or China.

### 2. a person from the USSR

noun · CEFR B2 · Archaic

a person who lived in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR).

For teachers: a citizen of the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.

- Many soviets moved to different parts of the country to find work in factories.
- The perspective of the average soviet during the Cold War was often shaped by state-controlled media and local party directives.

Teaching tip: This sense is archaic; modern speakers use 'Russian' or name the specific country like 'Ukrainian' or 'Kazakh'.

### 3. related to the USSR

adjective · CEFR B2 · Formal

related to the former Soviet Union, its government, or its style of building and art.

For teachers: pertaining to the former Soviet Union or its constituent republics, often used to describe political or architectural styles.

- The city is famous for its massive soviet buildings and wide streets.
- The historian analyzed soviet foreign policy during the mid-twentieth century to understand the roots of the conflict.

## Examples

- The local soviet met once a week to discuss new rules.
- During the early twentieth century, the workers' soviet became a powerful symbol of revolutionary organization in major cities.
- The transition from local revolutionary soviets to a centralized bureaucratic apparatus fundamentally altered the distribution of political power within the fledgling state.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.