nuclearize

American

[noo-klee-uh-rahyz, nyoo-, -kyuh-luh-] / ˈnu kli əˌraɪz, ˈnyu-, -kyə lə- /

especially British, nuclearise

verb (used with object)

nuclearized, nuclearizing

to equip with nuclear weapons; give nuclear capability to.

a fear that armed forces on both sides would become nuclearized.

Pronunciation

See nuclear.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

nuclearization

noun

Etymology

Origin of nuclearize

First recorded in 1955–60; nuclear + -ize

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.

On Tuesday the Post's Robert Costa interviewed Vice President Mike Pence and asked him if they were planning to nuclearize space.

From Salon • Oct. 24, 2018

Last week, he effectively admitted that he had broken his promise to China not to nuclearize the Korean peninsula.

From Time Magazine Archive

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023