first strike

noun

: a preemptive nuclear attack

first-strike

ˈfərs(t)-ˈstrīk 

adjective

Examples of first strike in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

At least two first responders, named locally as Denys Konovalenko and Oleksiy Sushchevsky, both 44, were killed after rushing to the scene of the first strike. — Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 3 Nov. 2026

The Boston Symphony Orchestra and its musicians ratified a three-year contract Tuesday, avoiding what could have been the first strike in the ensemble's 145-year history. — CBS News, 26 Aug. 2026

The Boston Symphony Orchestra and its musicians ratified a three-year contract Tuesday, avoiding what could have been the first strike in the ensemble’s 145-year history. — ABC News, 25 Aug. 2026

Project Iceworm envisioned constructing thousands of kilometers of tunnels beneath Greenland’s ice sheet to secretly deploy hundreds of nuclear missiles capable of surviving a Soviet first strike. — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 6 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1956, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for first strike

• alike
• belike
• birdlike
• catlike
• childlike
• christlike
• deathlike
• dislike
• dreamlike
• friedreich
• godlike
• hairlike