second-strike

[sek-uhnd-strahyk]

adjective

1. noting, pertaining to, or using nuclear forces capable of withstanding attack and retaliating after an adversary has launched a first strike.

second-strike

adjective

1. (of a nuclear weapon) intended to be used in a counterattack in response to a nuclear attack

2. (of a strategy) based on the concept of surviving an initial nuclear attack with enough nuclear weaponry to retaliate

Other Word Forms

• second strike noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of second-strike¹

First recorded in 1960–65; second ¹ ( def. ) + strike (in the sense “military attack”

Example Sentences

In 2019, Hernandez was sentenced to 80 years to life for killing a man outside of a bar in Southeast Los Angeles, a second-strike offense, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

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Lyle Morris, a senior fellow at the Asia Society Policy Institute, told the BBC that developments such as hypersonic missiles were making China reconsider its second-strike policy, forcing the expansion of its stockpile.

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“He is determined to operationalize his nuclear arsenal and is developing a credible second-strike capability.”

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The weapons information “made an important contribution to the Chinese objective to maintain a second-strike capability and provided useful information for future designs,” the assessment said.

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“Japan wanted to limit its defense spending and try not to acquire second-strike capability. But the situation surrounding us does not permit us to do that,” said Ichiro Fujisaki, former Japanese ambassador to the United States.

Read more on Washington Post