saber-rattling

noun

sa·​ber-rat·​tling ˈsā-bər-ˌrat-liŋ 

-ˌra-tᵊl-iŋ

variants or saber rattling or chiefly British sabre-rattling or sabre rattling

: overtly and often exaggeratedly threatening actions or statements (such as verbal threats or ostentatious displays of military power) that are meant to intimidate an enemy by suggesting possible use of force

But Jager insists that North Korean saber-rattling was aimed mostly at extorting economic aid from Washington, Seoul and other governments anxious to preserve peace at almost any price.

—Mark Atwood Lawrence

Iran's noisy saber rattling is only the latest lurch in its erratic foreign policy.

—John Greenwald

broadly : threatening statements or actions

The U.S. central bank has been saber-rattling for months regarding interest rate hikes but has yet to pull the trigger amid uneven economic data.

—Jeff Fox

For months now, the card companies have been threatening to cut rewards programs sharply to make up for revenue lost because of the new restrictions. My guess, however, is that this talk is just so much saber-rattling.

—Ron Lieber

Examples of saber-rattling in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

But his response included a similar bout of nuclear saber-rattling, suggesting that the president feels emboldened after ordering the bomb attacks against Iran late Saturday Eastern time. —Kevin Breuninger, CNBC, 23 June 2025

Lawmakers in both parties have been unnerved in recent days by the saber-rattling over the possible U.S. entry to Israel’s bombing of Iran. —Ian Swanson, The Hill, 22 June 2025

Trade policy also has evolved since the Fed last gathered. Tariffs and ongoing saber-rattling between the U.S. and China eased a few days after the central bank meeting, with both sides agreeing to drop the most onerous duties against each pending a 90-day negotiation period. —Jeff Cox, CNBC, 28 May 2025

While the impact of a costlier iPhone likely wouldn't mean much from a larger economic perspective, the saber-rattling underscores the volatility of trade policy and provides another flash point for a market already unnerved by worries about fiscal policy that have sent bond yields sharply higher. —Jeff Cox, CNBC, 23 May 2025

Part of that is a by-product of inflation, rising production costs and ongoing economic uncertainty worldwide, with fears of a global recession being turbo-charged by the saber-rattling administration of U.S. President Donald Trump. —Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 19 May 2025

The industry is using Trump's tariff saber-rattling as leverage; in an April 11 letter, 32 drug companies demanded European governments pay them more or face an exodus to the United States. —Jackie Fortiér, NPR, 13 May 2025

Russian officials routinely make saber-rattling remarks about Moscow's nuclear posture. —Kim Hjelmgaard, USA Today, 24 Apr. 2025

Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth claimed the U.S. military was sending more troops to bases in Panama, an apparent retreat from Trump’s previous saber-rattling threat to take back the Panama Canal. —Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 10 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1914, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for saber-rattling

• prattling
• rattling