balance of terror
noun
the distribution of nuclear arms among nations such that no nation will initiate an attack for fear of retaliation: maintaining the balance of terror between the United States and the Soviet Union.
Words nearby balance of terror
balance control, balance lug, balance of nature, balance of payments, balance of power, balance of terror, balance of trade, balance pipe, balance shaft, balance sheet, balance spring
Origin of balance of terror
First recorded in 1955–60
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Culture definitions for balance of terror
balance of terror
The balance of power between nations that are equipped with nuclear weapons, stemming from their fear of mutual annihilation in a nuclear war.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.