mininuke

[min-ee-nook, -nyook]

noun

Informal.

1. a low-powered nuclear device.

Word History and Origins

Origin of mininuke¹

First recorded in 1970–75; mini- + nuke

Example Sentences

If the Russians seem to believe the nonsense they’re spouting, if they do believe they can lob a mininuke at Europe and make us back off, is it enough simply to wave them away and insist that we have all the firepower we need to deter them?

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Related Words

• atomic bomb 
• hydrogen bomb 
• neutron bomb