Beria

American

[ber-ee-uh, bye-ryi-yuh] / ˈbɛr i ə, ˈbyɛ ryɪ yə /

noun

Lavrenti Pavlovich 1899–1953, Soviet secret-police chief: executed for treason.

Beria British

/ ˈbɛrɪə, ˈbjerijə /

noun

Lavrenti Pavlovich (laˈvrjentij ˈpavləvitʃ). 1899–1953, Soviet chief of secret police; killed by his associates shortly after Stalin's death

"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.

In the prison, officials hung portraits of Stalin and two chiefs of his secret police, Genrikh Yagoda and Lavrenti P. Beria.

From New York Times • Jul. 11, 2022

She said her church, New Beria MB Church in Athens, introduced her to the wax museum concept.

From Washington Times • Mar. 1, 2020

A producer and radio presenter for Rádio Beria Rio FM in Brazil, Lopes fearlessly criticised local politicians and highlighted corruption.

From The Guardian • Dec. 5, 2018

Armando Beria, 25, a resident of Jobure de Guayo, was on Pequeño’s patient list.

From Seattle Times • May 8, 2018

“We’re heading for disaster. Beria is sharpening his knives.”

From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin

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