oligarch

noun

ol·i·garch ˈä-lə-ˌgärk

ˈō-

plural oligarchs

: a member or supporter of an oligarchy

in Russia and other countries that succeeded the Soviet Union : one of a class of individuals who through private acquisition of state assets amassed great wealth that is stored especially in foreign accounts and properties and who typically maintain close links to the highest government circles

But what does it really mean to be a Russian oligarch …? … in Russian politics, the term first came about in the 1990s to describe a dozen or so powerful men who amassed immense wealth following the collapse of the Soviet Union.—

The Business Insider

The task force will pool the resources of the countries' law enforcement divisions to track down the assets of Russian oligarchs stashed overseas, a difficult task complicated by the opaque or complicated financial instruments frequently used by Russian financial elites to hide their holdings from public view.—

Jeff Stein

… young Armenians, who joined the protests in droves, angry that the same small club of politicians and oligarchs has controlled the country since independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.—

Neil Macfarquhar

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web That includes about a quarter of the global total, no doubt serving many Russian oligarchs allied with President Vladimir V. Putin. —

Erika Solomon, New York Times, 12 Mar. 2023 Charles McGonigal, the former special agent in charge of the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division in New York who retired in 2018, is charged with violating U.S. sanctions by agreeing to provide services to Oleg Deripaska, a sanctioned Russian oligarch. —

Danielle Wallace, Fox News, 24 Jan. 2023 Legal dispute with financiers of ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ casts spotlight on controversial Russian oligarch. —

Ryan Faughnderstaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 10 Jan. 2023 The Russian oligarch visited Saudi Arabia in August and met with the crown prince. —

Jared Malsin, WSJ, 23 Sep. 2022 Eventually, Mike Tyson and a Russian oligarch get involved. —

Amrita Khalid, The Verge, 13 June 2023 The visual finds Harold and Maude — the titular couple in the 1971 dark comedy classic soundtracked by Stevens — in an animated nightmare where they are pursued by evil politicians and oligarchs. —

Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 17 May 2023 In 2015, freeports became the center of one of the biggest art scandals to date, involving Swiss art dealer Yves Bouvier and his client, the Russian oligarch Dmitry Rybolovlev. —

Leena Kim, Town & Country, 18 Apr. 2023 The West has also directly sanctioned about 2,000 Russian firms, government officials, oligarchs, and their families. —

Julie Pace, BostonGlobe.com, 29 Mar. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'oligarch.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Greek oligárchēs, from olig- olig- + -archēs -arch entry 1, after Greek oligarcheîsthai "to be ruled by an oligarchy," oligarchía oligarchy

First Known Use

circa 1610, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler

The first known use of oligarch was circa 1610

See more words from the same year