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nuclear power

American  
[noo-klee-er pou-er, nyoo-] / ˈnu kli ər ˈpaʊ ər, ˈnyu- /

noun

  1. power derived from nuclear energy.

nuclear power British  

noun

  1. Also called: atomic power.  power, esp electrical or motive, produced by a nuclear reactor

"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
nuclear power Cultural  

  1. The electrical power generated by a nuclear reactor.

Pronunciation

See nuclear ( def. ).

Etymology

Origin of nuclear power

First recorded in 1925–30

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.

Vietnam's top leader To Lam hosted South Korean President Lee Jae Myung in Hanoi on Wednesday, announcing a dozen cooperative agreements including on tech innovation and development of nuclear power plants.

From Barron's • Apr. 22, 2026

Iran’s highly enriched uranium could be blended down and then stored at this bank, which provides nations with a way to obtain fuel for nuclear power plants if their supply is disrupted.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 19, 2026

"To meet the energy demands of AI, tech companies are building gigawatt data centers powered by dedicated nuclear power plants," Hersam said.

From Science Daily • Apr. 18, 2026

“Even France, which is a nuclear power, needs our renewables sometimes,” she adds.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026

But while other power plants burn oil, gas, or coal to generate the heat that starts the process, nuclear power plants use uranium.

From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland

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.