DEFCON

American  

[def-kon] / ˈdɛf kɒn /

noun

1. any of several alert statuses for U.S. military forces, ranked numerically from normal, 5, to maximum readiness, 1.

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Etymology

Origin of DEFCON

def(ense readiness) con(dition)

Example Sentences

For years, historians followed the bomb’s echoes through the Cold War: Bikini Atoll and nuclear bunkers, Strangelove and SALT, détente and Defcon, Star Wars and saber rattling, to hit a few low points.

From The Wall Street Journal

You can start him confidently in most games, given his defcon potential.

From BBC

He has returns in three of his past four games - two assists and one defcon performance.

From BBC

At the 101st Airborne Division out in Fort Campbell, Kentucky, all leaves have been canceled and somewhere north of 50,000 troops have been put on DefCon One alert.

From Salon

His talk on the technology at the DefCon hacker convention in August was a huge hit.

From Seattle Times