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.

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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

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Example Sentences

"Europeans are stepping up -- a bigger role for Europe and a stronger NATO," Rutte said ahead of the EPC meeting, dominated by the twin security threats posed by the Ukraine and Middle East wars.

From Barron's • May 4, 2026

“It all began with, if you want to know the truth, Greenland,” he said of his threat to leave NATO.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 2026

Rob Murray, formerly the head of innovation at NATO, began working on the idea in 2018.

From Barron's • Apr. 13, 2026

Jennifer Kavanagh, director of Military Analysis at Defense Priorities, said that Trump is effectively prevented from leaving NATO.

From Salon • Apr. 1, 2026

Bulgaria, like the other countries of the region, regards America as the first among equals in NATO.

From The Belgian Curtain Europe after Communism by Vaknin, Samuel