nuke

UK: /ˈnjuːk/ US: /nuk, njuk/ ,(no̅o̅k, nyo̅o̅k)

Inflections of 'nuke' (v): (⇒ conjugate)

nukes

v 3rd person singular

nuking

v pres p

nuked

v past

nuked

v past p

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

nuke /nuk, nyuk/   n., v., nuked, nuk•ing. [Slang.]
n. [countable]

1. Military, Informal Terms a nuclear weapon.
2. Informal Terms, Energy a nuclear power plant or nuclear reactor.

v. [~ + object]

3. Military, Informal Terms to attack with nuclear weapons.
4. to heat or cook in a microwave oven:
   nuking some leftovers.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

nuke  (no̅o̅k, nyo̅o̅k), n., adj., v., nuked, nuk•ing. [Informal.]
n. 

1. Military, Informal Terms a nuclear or thermonuclear weapon.
2. Informal Terms, Energy a nuclear power plant or nuclear reactor.
3. Informal Terms, Energy nuclear energy:
   to convert from coal to nuke.

adj. 

4. Informal Terms, Energy, Military of or pertaining to a nuclear or thermonuclear weapon or to a nuclear plant.

v.t. 

5. Military, Informal Terms to attack, defeat, or destroy with or as if with nuclear weapons.
6. Slang Terms
   Slang.
   to cook or bake in a microwave oven.

• by shortening and respelling, respelled 1945–50

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

nuke / njuːk/ verb (transitive)

1. to attack or destroy with nuclear weapons

noun

1. a nuclear bomb