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• first strike
  first strike

  noun

  the initial use of nuclear weapons in a conflict, in which the attacker tries to destroy the adversary's strategic nuclear forces.
• first-strike
  first-strike

  adjective

  (of a nuclear missile) intended for use in an opening attack calculated to destroy the enemy's nuclear weapons

first strike

American  

noun

1. the initial use of nuclear weapons in a conflict, in which the attacker tries to destroy the adversary's strategic nuclear forces.

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first-strike British  

adjective

1. (of a nuclear missile) intended for use in an opening attack calculated to destroy the enemy's nuclear weapons

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Etymology

Origin of first strike

First recorded in 1960–65

Example Sentences

It would have marked their first strike in 35 years.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026

Since the union’s first strike in 2023, members’ average salary will have increased 54%, Arias said.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 15, 2026

Buck Turgidson, one of the film’s most memorable characters, while agitating the president in the war room for a first strike against the Soviet Union.

From Salon • Mar. 10, 2026

"I did not personally see survivors," Hegseth said of the first strike.

From BBC • Dec. 2, 2025

The MAD principle argued that a first strike against the enemy would almost certainly fail to destroy its entire nuclear arsenal and would lead to an immediate cycle of retaliation.

From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau