go nuclear
phrase
informal
: to become wildly excited or upset : go berserk
To say the crowd went wild is an understatement. The crowd went nuclear. Outside the stadium, cars were overturned and fires were set. We sportswriters huddled inside, fearing for our lives.—
Tony Kornheiser
Tony KornheiserExamples of go nuclear in a Sentence
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The clashes between committee members and Abergel went nuclear after Charlie Kirk’s killing.
—
Philip Wang,
Time,
29 June 2026
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Philip Wang,
Time,
29 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Go nuclear.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/go%20nuclear. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
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