nuke

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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of nuke Pyongyang now routinely, almost casually, threatens to nuke South Korea and the United States. Robert E. Kelly, Foreign Affairs, 30 Dec. 2024 The Anyone but You star portrays quarterback Russ Holliday, who disguises himself as a fictional person and walks onto a struggling football team in the South after bad behavior nukes his college career. Christy Piña, The Hollywood Reporter, 28 Dec. 2024 Then radiation nuked anything the chemo might have missed. David Oliver, USA TODAY, 15 Oct. 2024 And if Netflix or any other streaming service has gotten stale, try nuking your view history and starting over. Adam Clark Estes, Vox, 20 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for nuke
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nuke
Verb
  • More than half a dozen tornadoes have been confirmed, including one in Marshall County, Oklahoma, that left two homes completely destroyed and damaged about 20 others.
    Christopher Cann, USA Today, 22 Apr. 2025
  • Fans of the franchise will remember that the Battle of Exegol was the climactic showdown between the Resistance and the First Order, which ended with the Sith being destroyed once and for all.
    Charlotte Phillipp, People.com, 20 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Purdy put his reporter’s hat back on and dug up that the 38 S. Fifth St. house — which would have sat in the plaza just south of the city council chambers — was demolished after an arson fire damaged it beyond repair.
    Sal Pizarro, Mercury News, 19 Apr. 2025
  • In Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, residents said the Israeli military demolished more homes in the city, which has all come under Israeli control in the past days in what Israeli leaders said was an expansion of security zones in Gaza to put more pressure on Hamas to release remaining hostages.
    Nidal al-Mughrabi, USA Today, 16 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Justin Champagnie hit a 3-pointer, the Heat had a backcourt violation and then Carrington ruined Jaime Jaquez Jr.’s 40-point game by dropping this dagger on him.
    Zach Harper, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2025
  • However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families.
    Tanasia Kenney, Miami Herald, 14 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • The loss has brought yet another heartbreak for the Townsend family, stemming from the mass shooting that devastated this suburban Denver community 26 years ago.
    Nicquel Terry Ellis, CNN Money, 20 Apr. 2025
  • At first, Tyrion's owner was devastated with her dog's diagnosis.
    Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 20 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Trump and Musk are truly onions made of glass: shiny orbs of one insubstantial layer over another, with nothing in the center, liable to be shattered under the slightest pressure.
    Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Apr. 2025
  • And amid the challenges, there’s a growing push for transparency in the beauty industry, especially as entrepreneurs are speaking out more about the realities of running a business, shattering the illusion of effortless success.
    Kimberly Wilson, Essence, 12 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Three days prior, Dale Earnhardt, the sport’s superhero and antihero and transcendent phenom all in one, wrecked into the wall on Turn 4 on the last lap of the Daytona 500.
    Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 13 Apr. 2025
  • The architectural vandalism was hideous and heartbreaking to watch, inhumane civic renewal by wrecking ball in the discredited vein of Robert Moses.
    Frank Rich, Vulture, 8 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • The Red Sox first baseman smashed his second three-run homer in two nights in an 8-5 loss to the Seattle Mariners.
    Jen McCaffrey, New York Times, 24 Apr. 2025
  • In the past half decade, whole strata of this intricate New York support system have been smashed.
    Helen Shaw, New Yorker, 24 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Nuke.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nuke. Accessed 29 Apr. 2025.

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