as in to destroy
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
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Recent Examples of nuke
Although Russia didn’t nuke its neighbor, the brutal war of attrition continues in Ukraine.
—
Davis Winkie, USA Today, 20 July 2025
Within weeks, the U.S. nuked the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, hastening the end of World War II while killing more than 200,000 civilians.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 14 July 2025
Criminal mastermind Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman) plans to nuke the San Andreas fault, turning his cheaply acquired Californian housing empire into lucrative beachfront property in the process.
—Richard Edwards, Space.com, 10 July 2025
Canonically, Raccoon City was nuked, wiping out the zombie threat.
—Zackery Cuevas, PC Magazine, 11 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for nuke
Davis Winkie, USA Today, 20 July 2025
Within weeks, the U.S. nuked the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, hastening the end of World War II while killing more than 200,000 civilians.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 14 July 2025
Criminal mastermind Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman) plans to nuke the San Andreas fault, turning his cheaply acquired Californian housing empire into lucrative beachfront property in the process.
—Richard Edwards, Space.com, 10 July 2025
Canonically, Raccoon City was nuked, wiping out the zombie threat.
—Zackery Cuevas, PC Magazine, 11 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for nuke
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nuke
Verb
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Acosta allowed it, and IMG destroyed them.—
Alec Lewis,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
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Later, Howard calls Matt and agrees to cut the sequence but also threatens to destroy him.—
Carson Blackwelder,
PEOPLE,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
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An image taken on August 19 shows Israeli excavators and bulldozers demolishing buildings in Zeitoun.—
Zeena Saifi,
CNN Money,
12 Sep. 2025
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In a shocking and dominant performance, Lesnar completely demolished Cena, delivering 16 German suplexes in a one-sided beatdown to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.—
Andrew Ravens,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families.—
Mark Price,
Charlotte Observer,
10 Sep. 2025
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Our family has been ruined by Denise's lies of promising to end a year-long affair.—
Stephanie Wenger,
PEOPLE,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Deadly floods in Asia have devastated crops, crippling already fragile food production.—
Tom Chivers,
semafor.com,
11 Sep. 2025
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The glossy marketing doesn't include a footnote about trust funds, family support or the ability to absorb year-over-year losses that would devastate most working families.—
Elle Wang,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
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What would shatter any other nation has become our daily broadcast.—
John Feinblatt,
Time,
12 Sep. 2025
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These hopes are shattered when a brutish stranger appears on the doorstep to take his family back.—
Leo Barraclough,
Variety,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Jerry Jeudy makes far too much money to wreck possessions with two drops, one that killed a drive and another that resulted in a crushing interception.—
Jason Lloyd,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
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The sophomore, who is the youngest player ever voted captain under coach Jay Norvell, was a one-man wrecking crew against the Huskies with a game-high 13 tackles.—
Kyle Newman,
Denver Post,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Shoplifting became a political lighting rod, and videos of thieves smashing store windows and grabbing merchandise rocketed across the news and social media as a symbol of a breakdown across cities.—
Nathaniel Meyersohn,
CNN Money,
8 Sep. 2025
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The forward smashed a strike across the goalkeeper and into the top corner, before wheeling away in emotional celebration.—
Joseph O'Sullivan,
Forbes.com,
6 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Nuke.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nuke. Accessed 14 Sep. 2025.
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