weapons of mass destruction

British  

plural noun

1. WMD. nuclear, chemical, or biological weapons that can cause indiscriminate death or injury on a large scale

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weapons of mass destruction Cultural  

1. Weapons that can produce devastating results when delivered in a single strike. They include nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons.

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One of the great challenges of the twenty-first century will be to constrain the proliferation and use of such weapons, especially by terrorists (see terrorism).

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

weapons of mass destruction

The biggest worry was once about nuclear weapons in space, but the superpowers and other countries signed the Outer Space Treaty in 1967, banning weapons of mass destruction in orbit.

From Barron's ● Sep. 15, 2026

A 1967 treaty banned weapons of mass destruction in orbit.

From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026

U.S. presidents have long sought to prevent Middle Eastern countries from acquiring technologies that could be used to build weapons of mass destruction.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026

It also bans nuclear weapons and weapons of mass destruction on the moon or in Earth’s orbit.

From Salon ● Apr. 9, 2026

Those engaged in the development and manufacture of weapons of mass destruction are given salaries, perquisites of power and, where possible, public honors at the highest levels available in their respective societies.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

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