nuclear option
noun
1
: the option of using nuclear weapons in war
… it is now unimaginable that we would use anything approaching the full measure of our military power (the nuclear option aside) in the wars we fight.—
Shelby Steele
Shelby Steele2
: an extreme option regarded as a drastic step or last resort
The EU has most leverage over countries that are desperate to join. Once in the club, with full voting rights, countries can answer back, leaving their peers with only the nuclear option of trying to expel them.—The Economist
The Economist
specifically, US politics
: a parliamentary procedure in the U.S. Senate by which the requirement of the affirmative votes of a supermajority of senators is changed to require only a simple majority to invoke cloture in order to stop a filibuster and allow a vote on a matter (such as a judicial nomination) to proceed
Since Republicans can't muster the 60 votes necessary to overcome this particular filibuster, they now want to use their authority over Senate procedures to abolish the maneuver itself, at least for judicial nominees. Exercising this "nuclear option," as it is known, would theoretically require the support of just a simple majority of senators, which Republican leaders say they are on the verge of solidifying. —Jonathan Cohn
Jonathan Cohn Examples of nuclear option in a Sentence
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European politicians have sporadically expressed concern about the nuclear threat from Russia, and defense experts have begun discussing Europe’s nuclear options more seriously.
—Florence Gaub, Foreign Affairs, 24 June 2025
Image Some clarity on the next round of tariffs
Global markets are gaining this morning as investors cheer reports that the Trump administration is likely to forgo the nuclear option on tariffs.
—Andrew Ross Sorkin, New York Times, 24 Mar. 2025
Banking lawyers warn the record-keeping cost could break the economics of low-margin BaaS deals, nudging software firms toward pricier state money-transmitter licenses, or the nuclear option of a national charter.
—Zennon Kapron, Forbes.com, 27 June 2025
Europe must navigate a strategic trilemma regarding its nuclear options.
—Mark S. Bell, Foreign Affairs, 31 Mar. 2025
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Florence Gaub, Foreign Affairs, 24 June 2025
Image Some clarity on the next round of tariffs
Global markets are gaining this morning as investors cheer reports that the Trump administration is likely to forgo the nuclear option on tariffs.
—Andrew Ross Sorkin, New York Times, 24 Mar. 2025
Banking lawyers warn the record-keeping cost could break the economics of low-margin BaaS deals, nudging software firms toward pricier state money-transmitter licenses, or the nuclear option of a national charter.
—Zennon Kapron, Forbes.com, 27 June 2025
Europe must navigate a strategic trilemma regarding its nuclear options.
—Mark S. Bell, Foreign Affairs, 31 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for nuclear option
Cite this Entry
“Nuclear option.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nuclear%20option. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.
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