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NATO

American  
[ney-toh, en-ey-tee-oh] / ˈneɪ toʊ, ˈɛnˈeɪˈtiˈoʊ /

abbreviation

  1. North Atlantic Treaty Organization: a political and military alliance established in 1949 in Washington, D.C., by 12 countries in Europe and North America for the purpose of collective defense against aggression, now comprising 32 member nations: Albania, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Montenegro, the Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States.


NATO British  
/ ˈneɪtəʊ /

acronym

  1. North Atlantic Treaty Organization, an international organization composed of the US, Canada, Britain, and a number of European countries: established by the North Atlantic Treaty (1949) for purposes of collective security. In 1994 it launched the Partnership for Peace initiative, in order to forge alliances with former Warsaw Pact countries; in 1997 a treaty of cooperation with Russia was signed and in 1999 Hungary, Poland, and the Czech Republic became full NATO members

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

See Examples For:

“The standard these days is fairly low,” said Tomas Valasek, a former Slovak ambassador to NATO, now a member of parliament, who attended the summit.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 8, 2026

Known for his indefatigable bonhomie and upbeat mood, Rutte remains much appreciated behind the scenes at NATO.

From Barron's Jul. 6, 2026

“We’re going to be going to NATO, and we’re going to be talking about it,” Trump added.

From Los Angeles Times Jul. 6, 2026

Officials said that there was some pushback from Italy over putting the pledge in black and white, but that it was eventually approved Friday by ambassadors at NATO.

From Barron's Jul. 3, 2026

In 1945 Turkey joined   the UN, and in 1952 it became a member of NATO.

From The 2003 CIA World Factbook by United States. Central Intelligence Agency

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