nuke

1 of 2

noun

ˈnük 

ˈnyük

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

Verb

• destroy
• demolish
• ruin
• devastate
• shatter
• wreck
• smash

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

Noun

If Tehran now hurries to make atomic bombs in secret — and if other countries in the region then build their own nukes for self-protection — the tactical triumph of Midnight Hammer will turn into a strategic disaster. —Andreas Kluth, Mercury News, 28 June 2025

Sit down in Geneva or Vienna or Qatar and fully and permanently surrender this mad nightmare to acquire nukes, or face more of the same devastation. —New York Daily News, Twin Cities, 26 June 2025

Verb

The United States had nuked and napalmed Japan yet afterward promoted the Japanese economy assiduously. —Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 16 June 2025

Tucker Carlson torches House Republican over Gaza ‘nuke’ comment | RISING Robby Soave and Lindsey Granger discuss Tucker Carlson ripping Rep. Randy Fine (R-Fla.) over his suggestion that Gaza should be nuked. —The Hill, 4 June 2025

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

Rhymes for nuke

• fluke
• juke
• kook
• luc
• luke
• puke
• souk
• spook
• archduke
• rebuke
• caoutchouc