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nuking

Definition of nukingnext
present participle of nuke
as in destroying
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 nuking But there’s a cleverness to how AdHoc’s writing team has managed to give the player a sense of control without completely nuking the story. Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 30 Oct. 2025 Johnson raised concerns that nuking the filibuster could one day empower socialists, in an appearance on C-SPAN Thursday. Steven T. Dennis, Fortune, 11 Oct. 2025 However, nuking the asteroid could potentially create problems. Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 6 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nuking
Verb
  • By the 1960s, gas flares and untreated waste spillage were destroying their forests.
    Stanley Stewart, Travel + Leisure, 10 Jan. 2026
  • And there is a risk of the parasites becoming dormant for years before reactivating and destroying a new cornea.
    Kristen Rogers, CNN Money, 10 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • The move came after the Office of County Administration released December cost estimates for demolishing the building and renovating it.
    John Lomax V, Houston Chronicle, 7 Jan. 2026
  • Fully reopening Leetsdale Drive is contingent on demolishing parts of the charred apartment complex that are still standing, Murphy said.
    Lauren Penington, Denver Post, 6 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • And, from this week’s issue, Nicola Twilley’s reporting on another lingering effect of the wildfires—smoke taint that is ruining grapes and threatening California’s wine industry.
    Dana Goodyear, New Yorker, 7 Jan. 2026
  • The video then shows the man asking if the situation was ruining Kaleel's Christmas.
    Jade Jackson, IndyStar, 6 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • The one that is responsible, once and for all, for fixing a defense that’s been complicit in wrecking three straight seasons of Burrow, Chase and Higgins.
    Paul Dehner Jr, New York Times, 5 Jan. 2026
  • And can interest be reduced without wrecking your financial future?
    Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 5 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • Yet for all of Malinin’s athleticism and his Beamonesque ability to take flight what has been most telling in what has already been a world record-shattering Olympic season has been the maturity of his skating, the willingness to take emotional risks in his programs.
    Scott M. Reid, Oc Register, 6 Jan. 2026
  • Bana and Rocha were among the 615 participants in the 27th annual Waukegan Polar Bear Plunge on Thursday at the Waukegan Municipal Beach, shattering the record of 540 set in 2024, and collectively raising more than $20,000 for Special Recreation Services of Northern Lake County.
    Steve Sadin, Chicago Tribune, 5 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • Scenario two is that Harbaugh is leveraging the Giants’ rabid interest but ultimately could take a different job, devastating this desperate fan base.
    Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 7 Jan. 2026
  • Rubella, also called German measles, is mild in children but devastating to fetuses, causing deafness, heart defects and intellectual disabilities when pregnant women are infected.
    Jake Scott, Washington Post, 7 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • As Hodges stood there, scared and vulnerable, the man grabbed his baton and bashed him on the head with it, rupturing his lip and smashing his skull.
    Jamie Thompson, The Atlantic, 6 Jan. 2026
  • The man accused of smashing windows on Vice President JD Vance's home with a hammer is facing separate prosecutions in state and federal court.
    Quinlan Bentley, Cincinnati Enquirer, 6 Jan. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Nuking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nuking. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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