nuke

1 of 2

noun

ˈnük 

ˈnyük

1

: a nuclear weapon

2

: a nuclear-powered electric generating station

nuke

2 of 2

verb

nuked; nuking

transitive verb

1

: to attack or destroy with or as if with nuclear bombs

2

: microwave

Synonyms

Verb

• annihilate
• cream
• decimate
• demolish
• desolate
• destroy
• devastate
• do in
• extinguish
• pull down
• pulverize
• raze
• rub out
• ruin
• shatter
• smash
• tear down
• total
• vaporize
• waste
• wrack
• wreck

Examples of nuke in a Sentence

Verb

a pretty sizable piece of real estate would be nuked if an asteroid struck

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Vance starts by bringing up the 1956 Suez crisis when the U.S. almost launched nukes against Moscow after an unidentified aircraft flew over Turkey and a British bomber fell from the sky. —Sara Netzley, EW.com, 5 Nov. 2024

Once identified, the U.S. might go so far as to fire precise nukes at the three locations. —Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 4 Nov. 2024

Verb

South Koreans, who would bear the brunt of U.S. retaliation, were skittish about a military option even when Kim was threatening to nuke them over the deployment of the missile defense system known as Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, or THAAD. —Daniel R. Russel, Foreign Affairs, 12 June 2018

The big picture: Manchin served as a serious check on President Biden's congressional plans — blocking efforts to nuke the filibuster and forcing a spending limit on the Build Back Better plan. —Justin Green, Axios, 27 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

by shortening and respelling from nuclear

Verb

derivative of nuke entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

1958, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1962, in the meaning defined at sense 1