: a cavalry sword with a curved blade, thick back, and guard
2
a
: a light fencing or dueling sword having an arched guard that covers the back of the hand and a tapering flexible blade with a full cutting edge along one side and a partial cutting edge on the back at the tip compare épée, foilentry 4
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Noun
While the economic saber rattling may not be followed-up with actual tariffs, the threat alone is enough to rattle financial markets and give business people pause about making new investments.—Scott Horsley, NPR, 19 Mar. 2025 The leaders of Russia and North Korea keep rattling their atomic sabers.—Andreas Kluth, Twin Cities, 16 Mar. 2025 The past few weeks, during which Trump has hosted multiple leaders from the Middle East, rattled sabers with traditional American allies, and proposed his radical plan for Gaza, provide some early clues.—Yair Rosenberg, The Atlantic, 14 Feb. 2025 Some of his favorite items include a defensive left-hand dagger from the 15th century and a Napoleonic cavalry saber.—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 21 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for saber
Word History
Etymology
Noun
French sabre, modification of German dialect Sabel, from Middle High German, probably of Slav origin; akin to Russian sablya saber
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