nuke
gb/nˈuk/ us/nˈuk/
B1
Anglais
~ 7400
Sens
0 sens
Verbe
informal
B1
action
1
Heat food in a microwave
To warm food in a microwave oven, usually very quickly.
Schéma d’usage :
to nuke [food] in the microwave
Erreur fréquente :
Learners sometimes think “nuke” always refers to nuclear weapons. In cooking, “nuke” is a casual verb that simply means to heat food in a microwave and should not be used in formal writing.
Synonymes
microwave (More neutral and common; lacks the casual, slightly careless tone of “nuke”.)
|
reheat (Focuses on making food warm again; does not specifically mention a microwave.)
Antonymes
freeze (Means to make something very cold, the opposite of heating it up.)
Collocations
nuke it
|nuke dinner
|nuke some leftovers
|nuke a burrito
Thèmes
food
|home
|daily life
|food_drink
|daily_life
Exemples
- If you're hungry, just nuke the pasta in the microwave for a minute.
- She nuked her coffee and rushed back to her desk.
- I usually nuke frozen dinners when I get home late.
- He nuked the leftovers instead of cooking something from scratch.
- Don't nuke the soup too long or it will boil over.
Exemples pédagogiques
- I will nuke this pizza for two minutes.
- You can nuke your tea if it is cold.
- He nuked the rice and then ate it.
- Please nuke the soup before dinner.
- She nuked a frozen meal for lunch.
Nom
informal
B2
entity
2
Nuclear bomb or missile
A casual word for a nuclear bomb or missile.
Schéma d’usage :
[someone] launches a nuke at [a place]
Erreur fréquente :
Learners may use “nuke” in formal speeches or essays where “nuclear weapon” is more appropriate. “Nuke” sounds casual and sometimes emotionally loaded.
Synonymes
nuclear weapon (More formal and technical; used in official and academic contexts.)
|
atomic bomb (More historical and specific; often refers to early nuclear weapons.)
Antonymes
conventional weapon (Refers to weapons that do not use nuclear reactions, contrasting with nukes.)
Collocations
build a nuke
|launch a nuke
|drop a nuke
|deploy nukes
|have nukes
Thèmes
war
|politics
|technology
Exemples
- The treaty aims to reduce the number of nukes each country owns.
- They fear that the regime is trying to build a nuke in secret.
- A single nuke could destroy an entire city.
- Some people argue that nukes act as a deterrent to war.
- The documentary explored how close the world has come to using nukes.
Exemples pédagogiques
- That country says it does not have any nukes.
- A nuke can kill many people very fast.
- Leaders met to talk about getting rid of nukes.
- He read a book about how a nuke works.
- People are afraid that a nuke could start a big war.
Verbe
informal
B2
action
3
Completely destroy or ruin
To completely break or ruin something, usually as an exaggeration and not with real bombs.
Schéma d’usage :
to nuke [something]
Erreur fréquente :
Learners sometimes think this sense always involves actual nuclear weapons. In everyday speech, it is often just an exaggeration for “destroy completely” and can be used in many non-violent contexts, like data, plans, or reputations.
Synonymes
wipe out (Very similar meaning; often used for groups, debts, or problems, and slightly less slangy.)
|
obliterate (More formal and dramatic; often used in serious or written contexts.)
Antonymes
preserve (Emphasizes keeping something safe and unchanged, the opposite of destroying it.)
Collocations
nuke the competition
|nuke the project
|nuke my account
|nuke the deck
|nuke their chances
Thèmes
daily life
|violence
|computing
|core_vocabulary
Exemples
- The new update completely nuked my settings.
- Their marketing campaign nuked the competition in just a few weeks.
- One bad comment on social media can nuke a brand's reputation.
- I accidentally nuked my presentation file and had to start over.
- That last mistake pretty much nuked our chances of winning the contract.
Exemples pédagogiques
- The virus nuked all the files on his laptop.
- That bad review nuked the small restaurant.
- She clicked the wrong button and nuked the document.
- The team nuked their lead in the last minute.
- His rude joke nuked the friendly mood in the room.
Verbe
informal
C1
action
4
Attack using nuclear weapons
To hit a city or enemy with nuclear bombs or missiles.
Schéma d’usage :
to nuke [a place/enemy]
Erreur fréquente :
Learners may use this very strong verb in casual contexts where it sounds insensitive, especially about real cities and people. In serious discussion, more neutral phrases like “use nuclear weapons” or “launch a nuclear strike” are often preferred.
Synonymes
bomb (General word; does not specifically mean using nuclear weapons unless you say so.)
|
launch a nuclear strike (More formal, military phrase for the same action.)
Antonymes
disarm (Means to remove or give up weapons instead of using them.)
Collocations
nuke a city
|nuke the enemy
|threaten to nuke
|decide to nuke
|promise not to nuke
Thèmes
war
|politics
|military
Exemples
- The leader threatened to nuke any country that attacked his allies.
- No one wants to live in a world where superpowers might nuke each other.
- They discussed what would happen if one side decided to nuke a major city.
- The movie imagines a future where several nations have already nuked their rivals.
- Experts warn that to nuke even one target would have global consequences.
Exemples pédagogiques
- People are afraid that one country might nuke another.
- The general said they would never nuke a city first.
- If they nuke the capital, many people will die.
- In the game, you can nuke the enemy base.
- The president promised not to nuke anyone.
Verbe
slang
C1
action
5
Erase data or system completely
To delete data or reset a computer or website so everything is removed.
Schéma d’usage :
to nuke [a file/system/website]
Erreur fréquente :
Learners may not realize this is slang and may use it in formal documentation instead of terms like “erase”, “wipe”, or “reinstall”. It is also easy to confuse this sense with the general “destroy” sense; in technical contexts, it specifically refers to data or systems.
Synonymes
wipe (Very close in meaning; slightly more neutral and common in technical instructions.)
|
format (More specific technical term, especially for drives; less casual than “nuke”.)
Antonymes
restore (Means to bring data or a system back, the opposite of erasing it.)
Collocations
nuke the database
|nuke the site from orbit
|nuke the drive
|nuke your settings
Thèmes
computing
|technology
|internet
Exemples
- The only way to fix that virus is to nuke the drive and reinstall everything.
- They decided to nuke the database and start with a clean schema.
- If the site gets hacked again, we might just nuke it and rebuild.
- Before you sell your laptop, nuke the disk so your data is gone.
- The admin accidentally nuked all the user accounts during maintenance.
Exemples pédagogiques
- He had to nuke his phone and install the system again.
- The IT team will nuke the old server tomorrow.
- She nuked the test database after the project ended.
- They nuked the website and made a new one.
- If you nuke this folder, you cannot get the files back.
Nom
slang
B2
action
6
Very powerful in-game attack
In games, a very strong attack or spell that hurts many enemies or does huge damage.
Schéma d’usage :
[someone] uses a nuke on [enemies]
Erreur fréquente :
Learners might confuse this gaming sense with real nuclear weapons when reading game forums or chats. In gaming, “nuke” usually just means a very strong attack, not an actual bomb.
Synonymes
ultimate (Gamer slang for a character's strongest ability; not always exactly the same as a wide-area ‘nuke’.)
|
one-shot (Focuses on killing something in a single hit, not necessarily many targets at once.)
Antonymes
heal (Opposite type of action in many games: restoring health instead of dealing big damage.)
Collocations
drop a nuke
|cast a nuke
|big nuke
|area-of-effect nuke
Thèmes
games
|entertainment
|computing
|technology
|arts_entertainment
Exemples
- Save your nuke for the final phase of the boss fight.
- The mage's new nuke can wipe out an entire wave of enemies.
- He dropped a nuke on the enemy team and turned the match around.
- That character has no real nuke, so fights take longer.
- Her ultimate is basically a massive nuke with a long cooldown.
Exemples pédagogiques
- In this game, my hero has a big nuke.
- He used his nuke and killed all the monsters.
- Her nuke did a lot of damage to the boss.
- Wait for the enemies to group, then use your nuke.
- This spell is my strongest nuke in the game.
Nom
informal
C1
event
7
Nuclear attack or strike
A casual word for a military attack that uses nuclear bombs or missiles.
Schéma d’usage :
[someone] launches a nuke against [a place]
Erreur fréquente :
This sense is easily confused with the noun meaning ‘nuclear weapon’. Often context makes it unclear whether speakers are talking about the weapon itself or the act of using it.
Synonymes
nuclear strike (More formal and standard term used in news and military language.)
Antonymes
ceasefire (Means an agreement to stop fighting, the opposite of carrying out an attack.)
Collocations
launch a nuke against
|survive a nuke
|fear of a nuke
|threat of a nuke
Thèmes
war
|politics
Exemples
- People lived in fear that a single nuke could end their city.
- The film imagines the world after a surprise nuke on the capital.
- Even the threat of a nuke can change international politics.
- Leaders met to discuss how to prevent any country from ever launching a nuke.
- He grew up during a time when children practiced what to do if a nuke hit.
Exemples pédagogiques
- They were afraid that a nuke might hit their town.
- A nuke would cause terrible damage to the country.
- The news talked about the risk of a nuke.
- People protested against any use of a nuke.
- The book is about life after a nuke.
Grammaire
Forme canonique
nuke
API
GB/nˈuk/
US/nˈuk/
Syllabes et accentuation
nuke (1 syllabe)
Stress on 1st syllable (nuke)
Formes du mot
Noun
- Base: nuke
- Plural: nukes
Verb
- Base: nuke
- 3rd Person Singular: nukes
- Present Participle: nuking
- Past: nuked
- Past Participle: nuked
Famille de mots
Expressions
nuke and pave
1/nˈuk ˈænd pˈeɪv/
idiom
slang
Wipe and reinstall a computer system
To completely erase a computer system and then install a fresh copy of the operating system.
Exemples
- Your laptop is so full of junk that it's easier to nuke and pave than to clean it.
- The IT department decided to nuke and pave all the old machines.
- When in doubt, just nuke and pave the server and restore from backup.
nuke it
1/nˈuk ˈɪt/
fixed phrase
informal
Microwave something quickly
To tell someone to warm food or a drink quickly in the microwave.
Exemples
- If your coffee's cold, just nuke it.
- Dinner’s in the fridge; you can nuke it when you get home.
- I don't feel like cooking, so I'll just nuke it and watch TV.
nuke it from orbit
1/nˈuk ˈɪt fɹˈʌm ˈɔɹbɪt/
idiom
informal
Destroy something completely and safely
To remove or destroy something so completely that nothing is left, often said jokingly about broken code, systems, or problems.
Exemples
- The codebase is such a mess that we should just nuke it from orbit and start again.
- This old forum is full of spam; let's nuke it from orbit and move to a new platform.
- If the malware spreads again, we may have to nuke it from orbit and rebuild the network.
nuke the fridge
1/nˈuk ðə fɹˈɪd͡ʒ/
idiom
informal
Push a story past believability
To put a scene in a film or TV show that is so unbelievable or silly that many viewers feel the story has become bad.
Exemples
- Fans say the series nuked the fridge with that last-season plot twist.
- Some people think the movie nukes the fridge in the final act.
- They were worried the new character might make the show nuke the fridge.
nuke the site from orbit
1/nˈuk ðə sˈaɪt fɹˈʌm ˈɔɹbɪt/
idiom
informal
Completely wipe and rebuild a site
To erase a website or system completely and start again from nothing, usually because it is too broken to fix.
Exemples
- The forum is overrun with bots; we might as well nuke the site from orbit.
- After the second major security breach, they decided to nuke the site from orbit and relaunch.
- Sometimes it’s faster to nuke the site from orbit than to patch every broken part.