nuking

present participle of nuke
as in destroying
to bring to a complete end the physical soundness, existence, or usefulness of a pretty sizable piece of real estate would be nuked if an asteroid struck

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of nuking To save the planet, a crew is sent on a mission to give the sun back its shine… by nuking the crap out of it. — Grace Dean, Space.com, 1 Sep. 2026 Korea’s unfunny dictator responded by nuking the studio’s tech apparatus, thus disclosing its financial secrets. — Peter Bart, Deadline, 30 July 2026 The moon briefly had a small chance of taking a hit from the asteroid during its close approach in 2032 – prompting one team of scientists to propose simply nuking the space rock. — Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 9 Mar. 2026 But there’s a cleverness to how AdHoc’s writing team has managed to give the player a sense of control without completely nuking the story. — Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 30 Oct. 2025 Johnson raised concerns that nuking the filibuster could one day empower socialists, in an appearance on C-SPAN Thursday. — Steven T. Dennis, Fortune, 11 Oct. 2025 However, nuking the asteroid could potentially create problems. — Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 6 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nuking
Verb
  • Hurricane Isaias made landfall as a Category 2 hurricane on Saturday, spawning tornadoes, destroying buildings and downing power lines across the Gulf region.
    — Mary Randolph, Scientific American, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Israeli soldiers filmed themselves in high definition laughing, looting homes, destroying entire rows of buildings, humiliating civilians, even killing them.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 13 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • This is not the first time a coach in LAUSD has gotten into trouble trying to improve a facility, with the district issuing disciplinary action and demolishing the improvement because it was not authorized.
    — Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 27 Sep. 2026
  • On Thursday, the judge ordered the Kennedy Center to provide 30 days' notice before making any major physical changes to the building, including demolishing it.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 20 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • As wet electrodes get thicker, the liquid binder migrates unevenly during drying, ruining the battery‘s structure.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Seaver also allegedly threatened to start a podcast dedicated to ruining Parton’s image unless he was paid.
    — Allison DeGrushe, StyleCaster, 28 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Kyle Larson and Tyler Reddick crossed the line while wrecking after Larson hit the wall trying to chase down Briscoe on the final turn.
    — Zach Dean OutKick, FOXNews.com, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Her first job as CEO in 2014 was to remake the century-old company’s corporate culture and regain customers’ trust following a tragic, reputation-wrecking ignition-switch crisis.
    — Alyson Shontell, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • You’re always getting blindsided by massive, earth-shattering events.
    — Adam B. Vary, IndieWire, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The only trace left of a content shoot earlier in the day is a smidge of smokey eye makeup, while a pair of black, ankle-shattering Jimmy Choo stilettos have been replaced with khaki trainers.
    — Sophie Williams, Billboard, 14 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Overall, climate change is weakening the winds — but won’t save SoCal from devastating fires.
    — Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The region has already been saturated by heavy rain over the past months, and regions like New Mexico and Grand Canyon were hit by devastating floods earlier this month.
    — Megan Janetsky, Chicago Tribune, 28 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Holt had been smashing the glass of a jewelry kiosk stand with a blunt object, police said.
    — Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Perhaps the squad took his ball-respecting mantra to its logical extreme, seemingly reluctant to sully it by smashing it into the net, with Chelsea recording the biggest xG underperformance in the Premier League during his brief tenure.
    — Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 15 Oct. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Nuking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nuking. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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