Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

sabre-rattling

British  

noun

  1. informal seeking to intimidate by an aggressive display of military power

"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:

“Geographically, New Zealand is far from the war in Europe, the tinder-box that is the Middle East, the sabre-rattling in the South China Sea, and the domestic politics in the U.S.A.,”

From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2025

Tanks pounded targets and fighter jets roared overhead on Wednesday as Taiwan's military carried out its latest combat drills after weeks of sabre-rattling by giant neighbour China.

From Reuters ● Sep. 7, 2022

"No-one really thought there would actually be a conflict. The vibe was that it was sabre-rattling," frontman Yannis Philippakis told the BBC.

From BBC ● Jun. 16, 2022

If it does, then that, surely, will be in large part thanks to your endless sabre-rattling.

From The Guardian ● Sep. 16, 2019

"It is only a bluff," he declared, "like so many we have had for the last thirty years; we get them regularly every spring and summer; just bullying and sabre-rattling."

From Clerambault The Story of an Independent Spirit During the War by Romain Rolland

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

Get a word

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Look it up. Learn it forever.

Remember new words for good with VocabTrainer. Expand your vocabulary effortlessly with personalized learning tools that adapt to your goals.

Take me to Vocabulary.com