nuke

1 of 2

noun

ˈnük How to pronounce nuke (audio)
ˈnyük
Synonyms of nukenext
1
: a nuclear weapon
2
: a nuclear-powered electric generating station

nuke

2 of 2

verb

nuked; nuking

transitive verb

1
: to attack or destroy with or as if with nuclear bombs
2
: microwave

Synonyms of nuke

Relevance

Verb

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of nuke in a Sentence

Verb a pretty sizable piece of real estate would be nuked if an asteroid struck
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Could war lead to more nukes around the world? — Leila Gharagozlou, CNN Money, 29 Mar. 2026 There will be nukes pulled from all formats of Bowman. — Corey Merriman, New York Times, 13 May 2026
Verb
Iran wants it as a deterrent to being nuked. — Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 21 June 2026 That bridge has been burned, detonated, destroyed, nuked, lasered to death. — Mark Harris Outkick, FOXNews.com, 29 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for nuke

Word History

Etymology

Noun

by shortening and respelling from nuclear

Verb

derivative of nuke entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

1958, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1962, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of nuke was in 1958

Rhymes for nuke

See All Rhymes for nuke

Browse Nearby Words

nuit blanche
nuke
Nuku'alofa
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Nuke.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nuke. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on nuke

Nglish: Translation of nuke for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All