Nuke

/njuːk/ noun, verb, slang

noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level

Meaning at a glance

  • Primary sense: A nuclear weapon.
  • Grammar: nuke is listed as noun, verb, slang.
  • Nearest alternatives: annihilate, atom-bomb, atomic bomb, atomic warhead.
  • Useful contrasts: back up, conventional plant, cool.
  • Usage evidence: Here at Harvard, we only work on the most important scientific problems, like "What if we nuke stuff?", or "How about we make this elephant explode?", or, who could forget, "Look at this thing. It's really big."

How to use "nuke"

  1. Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
  2. Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "nuke" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
  3. Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.

Meaning check

  • Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
  • Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
  • Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
  • Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?

Source and review context

This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "nuke" in a final draft.

If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.

Before you rely on this definition

Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "nuke" as the right word for your sentence.

If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "nuke" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.

Compare nearby meanings

  • Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
  • Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
  • Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
  • Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.

Definition decision workflow

1. Identify the role

Check whether "nuke" is acting as noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.

2. Test the nearest option

Compare it with "annihilate" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.

3. Confirm with context

Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.

Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.

Final meaning check

Before publishing a sentence with "nuke", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.

When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A nuclear weapon. US, colloquial

    ""Mini-nukes" are "among the active unresolved nuclear issues in NATO at the moment," according to a Senate Foreign Relations Committee staff report. […] Mini-nukes, the report said, are the "new generation of tactical nuclear weapons which combine low and variable yield possibilities with enhanced radiation characteristics and which could be used with artillery and laser-guided or other 'smart' bombs.""

  2. 2
    Alternative spelling of nuc (“nucleus colony of bees”). US, alt-of, alternative, colloquial

    "As a further experiment, I placed a very weak over-wintered nuke over the queenless colony. In bee strength, this little nuke was not half as strong."

  3. 3
    Alternative form of nucha (“spinal cord; nape of the neck”). US, alt-of, alternative, colloquial, obsolete

    "The organ of amativeness is placed in the nuke of the neck as a protuberance of the cerebellum."

  4. 4
    Alternative form of nook (“a corner of a piece of land; an angled piece of land, especially one extending into other land”). Northern-England, US, alt-of, alternative, archaic, colloquial

    "The ancient bounds of the cow paſture of Penrith, [...] and then from the ſaid Old Dyke end, alongſt Plumpton Dyke Eaſt over Petterel unto Plumpton park nuke, otherwiſe called Plumpton nuke; [...]"

  5. 5
    the warhead of a missile designed to deliver an atom bomb wordnet
Show 6 more definitions
  1. 6
    Something that destroys or negates, especially on a catastrophic scale. US, broadly, colloquial
  2. 7
    A nuclear power station. US, colloquial

    "Confronted with the threat of several nukes on the island, we soon realized that the Long Island Sound is being used as a massive cooling basin for nuclear reactors."

  3. 8
    A vessel such as a ship or submarine running on nuclear power. US, colloquial

    "A nuke [nuclear submarine] can't survive with one flooded compartment. Any compartment that floods is going to kill you. Okay? Now, that's an acceptable risk because the nuclear hull is made of better steel. If a surface ship hits a nuclear submarine, the surface ship is going to sink, which we've demonstrated again and again. [...] In a nuke you come to periscope depth once a day, every two days."

  4. 9
    A person (such as a sailor in a navy or a scientist) who works with nuclear weapons or nuclear power. US, colloquial

    "But nowhere in our military services is there a more highly trained, more qualified group of officers than the Navy's nuclear power officers – Navy nukes. The responsibilities the Navy's 4,300 nukes have to assume – procuring, testing, operating, and maintaining our nuclear-powered fleet – require a much deeper level of understanding than is necessary in the other services."

  5. 10
    A cautionary flag placed on a release to label it as "bad" for some reason or another (e.g., being a dupe of a previous release or containing malware). US, colloquial

    "A nuke based on non existent rules or made up reasons can be undone – this is called and^([sic]) un-nuke."

  6. 11
    A microwave oven. US, colloquial, rare

    "Just put it in the nuke for two minutes and it will be ready to eat."

Verb
  1. 1
    To use a nuclear weapon on (a target). Canada, US, colloquial, transitive

    "If a nuclear war ever breaks out, military facilities are likely to be nuked first."

  2. 2
    cook or heat in a microwave oven wordnet
  3. 3
    To destroy or erase completely. Canada, US, colloquial, figuratively, transitive

    "He had his posts nuked from the Google archives."

  4. 4
    bomb with atomic weapons wordnet
  5. 5
    To carry out a denial-of-service attack against (an IRC user). Internet, US, broadly, colloquial, transitive

    "The command and control servers used by the Mydoom variant, responsible for the recent denial of service attacks against Korean and US government websites, receive instructions from a master server located in the UK. [...] Apparently, the decision of whoever was responsible to damage the infected systems after July 10 pointed [Roger] Thompson in this direction. "Why bother nuking 60k computers after doing all the work of assembling them? Nuking them only helps the Good Guys, because the victims are forced to re-build, and therefore clean, their computers. [..."]"

Show 4 more definitions
  1. 6
    strike at with firepower or bombs wordnet
  2. 7
    To expose to some form of radiation. Canada, US, colloquial, transitive
  3. 8
    To cook in a microwave oven. Canada, US, colloquial, transitive

    "I’ll nuke some pizza for dinner."

  4. 9
    To overanalyze or despair unduly over something. US, colloquial, transitive

Synonyms

All synonyms
annihilateatom-bombatomic bombatomic warheadatomiseatomize

Antonyms

back upconventional plantcoolfossil fuel plant

Example

"Here at Harvard, we only work on the most important scientific problems, like "What if we nuke stuff?", or "How about we make this elephant explode?", or, who could forget, "Look at this thing. It's really big.""

Common questions

What does "nuke" mean?

A nuclear weapon.

What is a synonym for "nuke"?

Common synonyms include: annihilate, atom-bomb, atomic bomb, atomic warhead, atomise, atomize.

How do you use "nuke" in a sentence?

Here at Harvard, we only work on the most important scientific problems, like "What if we nuke stuff?", or "How about we make this elephant explode?", or, who could forget, "Look at this thing. It's really big."

How do you pronounce "nuke"?

Pronounced /njuːk/.

Etymology

Etymology 1

Clipping of nuclear weapon. The verb is derived from the noun.

Etymology 2

Clipping of nuc(leus).

Etymology 3

See nucha.

Etymology 4

See nook.

More for "nuke"

Synonyms

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