Achebe

American

[ah-chey-bey] / ɑˈtʃeɪ beɪ /

noun

Chinua 1930–2013, Nigerian novelist.

Achebe British

/ əˈtʃeɪbɪ /

noun

Chinua. 1930–2013, Nigerian novelist. His works include Things Fall Apart (1958), A Man of the People (1966), and Anthills of the Savannah (1987)

"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

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.

Trouble, to paraphrase Nigerian author Chinua Achebe, will find them too.

From Salon • Oct. 26, 2025

Foremost Nigerian author Chinua Achebe put it best when he said: "The price a world language must be prepared to make is submission to different kinds of use."

From BBC • Sep. 8, 2023

Achebe challenged simplistic representations of Africa in books like Joseph Conrad’s “Heart of Darkness.”

From New York Times • May 24, 2023

In high school, she shelved books at the local library and read incessantly: not only Chinua Achebe and Toni Morrison but also thrillers, histories, how-to books about fixing a carburetor.

From Los Angeles Times • May 18, 2023

“I think you’ve already figured that out,” Dr. Achebe said.

From "Boy 2.0" by Tracey Baptiste

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