nuclear option
Britishnoun
-
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 knows the nuclear option of its members pulling out of the tournament would severely damage the financial viability of the concept.
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026
Simply halting Stretch’s dividend is legal, but a nuclear option.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 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
In theory, other EU countries could override Belgium and ram the initiative through with a weighted majority but that would be a nuclear option that few see as likely for now.
From Barron's ● Dec. 18, 2025
There’s the nuclear option: the singles table in the restaurant.
From Salon ● Jul. 4, 2025
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.
