Cheka

[ che-kah ]

noun

1. (in the Soviet Union) the state secret-police organization (1917–22), succeeded by the GPU.

Cheka

/ ˈtʃɛka /

noun

1. Russian history the secret police set up in 1917 by the Bolshevik government: reorganized in the Soviet Union in Dec 1922 as the GPU

Other Words From

• Chekist noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of Cheka¹

1920–25; < Russian Cheká, Vecheká, names of the initial letters of Vserossíĭskaya chrezvycháĭnaya Kommíssiya ( po bor'bé s kontrarevolyútsieĭ, spekulyátsieĭ i sabotázhem ) All-Russian Extraordinary Commission (for the Struggle against Counterrevolution, Speculation and Sabotage)

Word History and Origins

Origin of Cheka¹

C20: from Russian, acronym of Chrezvychainaya Komissiya Extraordinary Commission (to combat Counter-Revolution)

Example Sentences

From its earliest days, the Soviet Union’s intelligence services — whether known as the Cheka or by the names of any of its successor agencies like the KGB — kept the government in power by pursuing its opponents no matter where they lived.

From Seattle Times

The Cheka secret police, founded by Felix Dzherzhinsky, often used assassins to hunt down enemies of the Bolshevik Revolution.

From Seattle Times

Perhaps the Cheka’s most successful undertaking in the 1920s was “Operation Trust,” which focused on Russians living abroad who opposed the regime, he said.

From Seattle Times

Such is the enduring influence of "Chekist Number One" that even in modern Russia, some spies still call themselves Chekists - after the Cheka he founded.

From Reuters

Primate zoo keeper Cheka Heihn described Rudi as shy at first, but playful once zoo staff got to know him.

From Reuters