NATO

American  

[ney-toh, en-ey-tee-oh] / ˈneɪ toʊ, ˈɛnˈeɪˈtiˈoʊ /

abbreviation

1. North Atlantic Treaty Organization: a political and military alliance established in 1949 in Washington, D.C., by 12 countries in Europe and North America for the purpose of collective defense against aggression, now comprising 32 member nations: Albania, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Montenegro, the Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

---

NATO British  

/ ˈneɪtəʊ /

acronym

1. North Atlantic Treaty Organization, an international organization composed of the US, Canada, Britain, and a number of European countries: established by the North Atlantic Treaty (1949) for purposes of collective security. In 1994 it launched the Partnership for Peace initiative, in order to forge alliances with former Warsaw Pact countries; in 1997 a treaty of cooperation with Russia was signed and in 1999 Hungary, Poland, and the Czech Republic became full NATO members

---

Example Sentences

"Where are the anti-drone systems here? Shouldn't they be somewhere on the border of Romania? Why aren't they? Where is the European Union? NATO?" asked 47-year-old Mihaela, who only gave her first name.

From Barron's • May 29, 2026

"Spain is a reliable member within NATO" which is fulfilling all its obligations, Sanchez told reporters in Cyprus, where he was attending an EU summit.

From Barron's • Apr. 24, 2026

France, Poland, the Nordic countries and Canada, which are now casting the contingency plan as a coalition-of-the-willing within NATO, according to officials involved.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 2026

James Foggo, who held senior posts in and linked to NATO.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 2026

In 1945 Turkey joined the UN and in 1949 it became a member of NATO.

From The 2000 CIA World Factbook by United States. Central Intelligence Agency