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

To minimize the risk of its nuclear ambitions being exposed, the island only sought to secretly establish the capability to produce nukes quickly at any time, but not build a stockpile. —Eric Cheung, CNN, 1 Mar. 2025

Tribes wielding spears and scrolls grow into global empires equipped with nukes and blue jeans. —Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 12 Feb. 2025

Verb

The art page of the current Marvel artists where these images were found has been nuked, but they are being endlessly replicated and spread across the internet at this point. —Paul Tassi, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2025

His commitment to America's European allies is shaky at best, and nobody in their right minds still believes that Trump would endanger New York or Washington to attack—let alone to nuke—Moscow or Saint Petersburg in defense of Warsaw or Paris. —David Faris, Newsweek, 27 Feb. 2025

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

Rhymes for nuke

• fluke
• juke
• kook
• luc
• luke
• puke
• souk
• spook
• archduke
• rebuke
• caoutchouc