nuke

[nook, nyook]Informal.

noun

a nuclear or thermonuclear weapon.
a nuclear power plant or nuclear reactor.
nuclear energy: to convert from coal to nuke.

adjective

of or relating to a nuclear or thermonuclear weapon or to a nuclear plant.

verb (used with object), nuked, nuk·ing.

to attack, defeat, or destroy with or as if with nuclear weapons.
Slang. to cook or bake in a microwave oven.

Origin of nuke

First recorded in 1945–50; by shortening and respelling

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for nukes

Contemporary Examples

As indeed it now turns out was the case with nukes and the Cold War.
I Saw Nuclear Armageddon Sitting on My Desk
Clive Irving
November 10, 2014
I had a fleeting image of long hair, jeans and a “No Nukes” placard.
Truman’s Grandson & Japan’s A-Bomb Survivors: A Story of Reconciliation
Clifton Truman Daniel
August 5, 2014
Yes, Israel has nukes, and that technology has made Israel safe from symmetrical attack.
Memo to Bibi Netanyahu: It’s Time to Build an Arsenal of Awe
Lloyd Green
December 2, 2013
The Soviets stopped setting off nukes at Nova Zembla after that, owing to international pressure.
Pale Fire and the Cold War: Redefining Vladimir Nabokov’s Masterpiece
Michael Weiss
October 13, 2013
Specifically, Mr. Obama, you said your policy on Iranian nukes was “prevention,” not “containment” or “deterrence.”
Leslie H. Gelb on Obama’s Dangerous Nuclear Dance
Leslie H. Gelb
April 7, 2013

British Dictionary definitions for nukes

nuke

verb (tr)

to attack or destroy with nuclear weapons

noun

a nuclear bomb
a military strike with nuclear weapons
nuclear power
mainly US a nuclear power plant

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

Word Origin and History for nukes

nuke

n.

short for nuclear weapon, 1959, U.S. military slang (see nuclear). The verb is attested from 1962; the slang sense of "to cook in a microwave oven" is from 1987. Related: Nuked; nuking.

nukes in Culture

nukes

A slang term for nuclear reactors or nuclear weapons.

nuke

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Related Words

Examples from the Web for nukes

Contemporary Examples

As indeed it now turns out was the case with nukes and the Cold War.

I had a fleeting image of long hair, jeans and a “No Nukes” placard.

Yes, Israel has nukes, and that technology has made Israel safe from symmetrical attack.

The Soviets stopped setting off nukes at Nova Zembla after that, owing to international pressure.

Specifically, Mr. Obama, you said your policy on Iranian nukes was “prevention,” not “containment” or “deterrence.”

nuke

Word Origin and History for nukes

nuke

n.

nukes

Origin of nuke