nuclear option
Britishnoun
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the use of or power to use nuclear weapons
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the use of or power to use a measure considered to be particularly drastic
the nuclear option of a confidence vote
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.
It knows the nuclear option of its members pulling out of the tournament would severely damage the financial viability of the concept.
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026
Simply halting Stretch’s dividend is legal, but a nuclear option.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026
This could be seen as a halfway house, whereby the independent disciplinary commission dodges the nuclear option of banishing Southampton from the play-offs but still applies a sporting sanction.
From BBC ● May 13, 2026
“This weapon is kind of the nuclear option because its consequences are so severe,” he says.
From Barron's ● Oct. 11, 2025
There’s the nuclear option: the singles table in the restaurant.
From Salon ● Jul. 4, 2025
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.
