nuke

[ nook, nyook ]

noun

1. a nuclear or thermonuclear weapon.
2. a nuclear power plant or nuclear reactor.
3. nuclear energy:

   to convert from coal to nuke.

adjective

1. of or relating to a nuclear or thermonuclear weapon or to a nuclear plant.

verb (used with object)

, nuked, nuk·ing.

1. to attack, defeat, or destroy with or as if with nuclear weapons.
2. Slang. to cook or bake in a microwave oven.

nuke

/ njuːk /

verb

1. to attack or destroy with nuclear weapons

noun

1. a nuclear bomb
2. a military strike with nuclear weapons
3. nuclear power
4. a nuclear power plant

Word History and Origins

Origin of nuke¹

First recorded in 1945–50; by shortening and respelling

Example Sentences

Microwaveable slippers can be nuked right up to a comfortable lounging temperature.

From Popular-Science

With ANC turned on, I could still hear traffic and street noise that I’d expect a more robust system from Bose or Sony to completely nuke.

From Popular-Science

There was a point where every single match we played, we would be getting nukes.

From Ozy

In their July 2018 Nature Astronomy paper, they mention Musk directly, shooting down his idea of terraforming by nuking Mars’ polar ice caps.

From Nautilus

As a half-step toward that, others are calling a “partial nuke” or a “mini-nuke.”

From Time

I happen to agree that the Iranian regime is repugnant and that we'd be much better off if they remain nuke-free.

From The Daily Beast

Here we seem to have a case of nuke-washing (or radioactive cleansing, as it were), with two possible explanations.

From The Daily Beast

In response to the revelation the Mormon Church had donated considerable cash to the cause, cries went up to “Nuke Utah.”

From The Daily Beast

Or perhaps, this time, the North might not explode a nuke—it might sink another South Korea naval vessel, as it did in 2010.

From The Daily Beast

Today as well, politicians from both parties simply assume that Iran is pursuing a nuke.

From The Daily Beast