nuclear option
Britishnoun
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the use of or power to use nuclear weapons
-
the use of or power to use a measure considered to be particularly drastic
the nuclear option of a confidence vote
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.
It’s a nuclear option, and the stakes are enormous, reports Stephen Wilmot.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
Compared with it being described as a "nuclear option" last month.
From BBC ● Feb. 26, 2026
There’s also the nuclear option: Ditch the cloud and back up your data to a local drive.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 22, 2026
“This weapon is kind of the nuclear option because its consequences are so severe,” he says.
From Barron's ● Oct. 11, 2025
There’s the nuclear option: the singles table in the restaurant.
From Salon ● Jul. 4, 2025
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
