perestroika

American

[per-uh-stroi-kuh, pyi-ryi-stroi-kuh] / ˌpɛr əˈstrɔɪ kə, pyɪ ryɪˈstrɔɪ kə /

noun

Russian. the program of economic and political reform in the Soviet Union initiated by Mikhail Gorbachev in 1986.

perestroika British

/ ˌpɛrəˈstrɔɪkə /

noun

the policy of reconstructing the economy, etc, of the former Soviet Union under the leadership of Mikhail Gorbachov

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of perestroika

From the Russian word perestróĭka literally, rebuilding, reorganization

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Yet an opening modeled on Russia’s 1980s perestroika is also a possibility.

From The Wall Street Journal

It was the era of glasnost and perestroika.

From Los Angeles Times

His restructuring and openness — perestroika and glasnost — of the late 1980s led to the dismantling of the Soviet Union and, peacefully and fleetingly, brought a divided Europe together in liberty.

From New York Times

And after perestroika everything changed: Girls became dolls.”

From New York Times

As Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev began the fateful era of “perestroika,” or restructuring, in the late 1980s, Mr. Strougal followed suit with efforts to lessen state controls on the Czechoslovak economy.

From Washington Post

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023