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.

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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

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Example Sentences

Last year, the alliance’s non-U.S. members boosted military spending by 20% over 2024 levels, to $574 billion, according to NATO.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 5, 2026

Diplomats said the declaration will call for a "stronger Europe in a stronger NATO" as Washington presses its allies to take responsibility for their own defences.

From Barron's • Jul. 3, 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

What does the U.S. plan to do about NATO?

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 27, 2026

Now a member of NATO,   the Czech Republic has moved toward integration in world markets, a   development that poses both opportunities and risks.

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