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

Bomb kills Russian nuke commander A Russian general accused of using chemical weapons in Ukraine was killed Tuesday by what officials described as a bomb hidden in a scooter outside a Moscow apartment building. —Laura L. Davis, USA TODAY, 17 Dec. 2024

Amid the stalemate in larger nuclear negotiations with Washington, Kim has been dialing up pressure on South Korea, abandoning his country’s long-standing goal of inter-Korean reconciliation and verbally threatening to attack the South with nukes if provoked. —Kim Tong-Hyung, Los Angeles Times, 21 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