force de frappe
Britishnoun
Etymology
Origin of force de frappe
C20: literally: striking force
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.
Macron said the eight European countries could take part in exercises of France's air-launched nuclear capacity – or force de frappe - and also host air bases where France's nuclear bombers could be stationed.
From BBC • Mar. 2, 2026
The country’s force de frappe, its nuclear strike force, was crucial to its political self-image, and those weapons required, France claimed, the South Seas testing.
From Slate • Jul. 22, 2025
Under Guy, the Rothschilds have also built France's biggest private uranium mining company, which supplies some of the raw material for De Gaulle's force de frappe.
From Time Magazine Archive
Hernu almost single-handedly persuaded the Socialist Party in 1976 to support the French nuclear force de frappe, which it had officially opposed for six years.
From Time Magazine Archive
The diplomat compares Kim's quest for nuclear power with French President Charles de Gaulle's determination to have his own nuclear force de frappe.
From Time Magazine Archive
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.
