gunboat diplomacy

noun

1. diplomatic relations involving the use or threat of military force, especially by a powerful nation against a weaker one.

gunboat diplomacy

noun

1. diplomacy conducted by threats of military intervention, esp by a major power against a militarily weak state

gunboat diplomacy

1. A policy toward a foreign country that depends on the use, or threat of the use, of arms. ( See big stick diplomacy .)

Word History and Origins

Origin of gunboat diplomacy¹

First recorded in 1925–30