sabre-rattling
Britishnoun
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.
“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
Western leaders ignored what was widely interpreted at the time as nuclear sabre-rattling.
From BBC • Sep. 13, 2024
"We should brace for more sabre-rattling designed to create a warlike atmosphere — and possibly more provocation testing," said Jean Lee, a fellow at the Washington-based Wilson Center.
From Reuters • Jan. 20, 2022
In his view, today’s extraordinary nuclear challenges — deteriorating arsenals, ongoing proliferation and the rebirth of sabre-rattling nuclear diplomacy — were preventable.
From Nature • Oct. 14, 2018
"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 Rolland, Romain
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.
