sputnik
noun
any of a series of Soviet earth-orbiting satellites.
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sputnik
American
[spoot-nik, spuht-, spoot-nyik]
/ ˈspʊt nɪk, ˈspʌt-, ˈsput nyɪk /
noun
Sputnik
British
/ ˈspʌt-, ˈspʊtnɪk /
noun
Etymology
Origin of sputnik
1957; < Russian spútnik satellite, traveling companion, equivalent to s- together, with + put’ way, route + -nik agent suffix ( cf. -nik)
Vocabulary lists containing sputnik
2015 Spelling Bee - Words from Round 2
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The Vocabulary of Soviet-Era Nostalgia & Cold War Spy Words
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American History - Middle School
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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.
With his trademark delivery - unhurried and calm - he informed viewers of the first sputnik in space, and delivered the communiqués of the Communist Party.
From BBC • Oct. 30, 2021
This guy's not as imposing as a sputnik, but just as many bulbs.
From Salon • Mar. 14, 2021
All languages borrow words from other languages — Americans may recognize agitprop, sputnik, babushka or cosmonaut.
From Washington Post • Apr. 25, 2017
Right away, the limitations of the sputnik analogy should be clear.
From Slate • Jun. 4, 2012
"There was sputnik, you know," Ross interrupted sourly.
From The Common Man by Schelling, George Luther
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
