brinkmanship

noun

brink·man·ship ˈbriŋk-mən-ˌship

variants or less commonly brinksmanship

ˈbriŋ(k)s-mən-ˌship

: the art or practice of pushing a dangerous situation or confrontation to the limit of safety especially to force a desired outcome

Examples of brinkmanship in a Sentence

two nations caught up in nuclear brinksmanship

Recent Examples on the Web

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The most impressive thing about Reagan’s apparent turn from brinkmanship to deep disarmament is how little resonance these criticisms found outside the pages of conservative journals such as the National Review. —

Niall Ferguson, Foreign Affairs, 7 Jan. 2025 But this didn’t quite seem right, since Trump’s continued calls for Congress to lift the debt ceiling—a change that would end the routine brinkmanship over government shutdowns that the House G.O.P. now stages—signalled a different agenda from that of Musk and his allies. —

Benjamin Wallace-Wells, The New Yorker, 21 Dec. 2024 What are the consequences of political brinkmanship? —

Henry Gass, The Christian Science Monitor, 20 Dec. 2024 This brinkmanship requires careful choreography: states must learn how to pressure their adversaries just enough to shape their behavior without crossing thresholds that could trigger a significant response. —

Erik Lin-Greenberg, Foreign Affairs, 8 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for brinkmanship