nuclear weapon state

or nu·cle·ar-weap·on state

[ noo-klee-er wep-uhn steyt, nyoo-klee-er ]

noun

1. any of the five countries identified by the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons as having created and detonated a nuclear weapon or other nuclear explosive device prior to January 1, 1967: namely, China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. : NWS Compare non-nuclear weapon state ( def ).

Pronunciation Note

See nuclear ( def ).

Word History and Origins

Origin of nuclear weapon state¹

First recorded in 1960–65

Example Sentences

“For those who say his first term did not do much damage to international order, one answer is that he took the U.S. out of the JCPOA, the deal to curb Iran’s nuclear program. Iran’s acceleration of its work since then has left it a threshold nuclear weapon state,” she said during a recent speech on the year ahead.

From Seattle Times

The impact would be tremendous, because it would be an example of the court finding a very powerful state, a nuclear weapon state, responsible for what many perceive to be the most serious crime under international law.

From Slate

Security Council sanctions banning any nuclear testing, saying that the North “cannot and will never have the status of a nuclear weapon state,” Gonzato said.

From Seattle Times

He said that “meeting Kim again only validates Kim’s strategy of using Trump to play for time and sanctions relief, and keep North Korea on the pathway to becoming a de facto nuclear weapon state.”

From New York Times

“We could surmise more than enough what a political dummy he is as he is trying to compare the DPRK, a nuclear weapon state, to Libya that had simply installed a few items of equipment and fiddled around with them,” she said, using the abbreviation for the state’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

From Washington Post