Broken Arrow
1 Americannoun
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a nuclear weapon that has been removed from the arsenal by theft, loss, accidental launch or detonation, etc., but has not resulted in harm.
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the theft, accidental launch, or other event that causes such a weapon to be removed from the arsenal.
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a code phrase summoning all military aircraft in the area to the immediate support of ground forces about to be overwhelmed.
noun
Etymology
Origin of Broken Arrow
First recorded in 1960–65
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Her grieving father joined a church in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 2, 2022
A "Broken Arrow," in this context, does not refer to a damaged street sign, but one of the dozens of occasions since 1950 when there was a dangerous nuclear weapon accident.
From Salon ● Mar. 19, 2022
A run to Broken Arrow, Okla., would earn him $452, while a longer journey to Malvern, Ark., would bring $717.
From New York Times ● Dec. 2, 2021
He will do it at the dedication of a new headstone for Lacy’s grave in Broken Arrow, Okla., near Tulsa, where Lacy spent his final years.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 21, 2021
Dr. Broken Arrow would know about bear livers; she doubted whether the Librarian of Jordan College would.
From "The Golden Compass" by Philip Pullman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
