balance of terror

noun

Definition of balance of terror

: a situation in which the threat of mutual annihilation by nations with the capability to wage nuclear war serves as a deterrent against military aggression and the use of nuclear weapons Change, unfamiliarity, and the disconcerting potentialities of technology make balance of terror constantly precarious.— Henry T. Nash, Nuclear Weapons and International Behavior, 1975

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about balance of terror

Dictionary Entries near balance of terror

balance of nature

balance of payments

balance of power

balance of terror

balance of trade

Statistics for balance of terror

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for balance of terror

The first known use of balance of terror was in 1955

See more words from the same year

Comments on balance of terror

What made you want to look up balance of terror? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

WORD OF THE DAY

canker

to corrupt or become corrupted

Test Your Vocabulary

A Green Quiz

What is the best definition of green-eyed monster?

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

TAKE THE QUIZ

Word Winder's CrossWinder

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games