Nuclear deterrent

/njˈuːkliə dɪtˈɜːɹəns/

/nˈuːklɪɹ dɪtˈɜːɹəns/

[noun]

Nuclear deterrent

[NOUN]

a nuclear weapon of a country that is very powerful and serves as a protection against other countries' attacks

Examples

1. And that's going to undermine the credibility of the American nuclear deterrent.

2. It's got the means-- it has a very satisfactory nuclear deterrent right now.

3. These airborne patrols formed one component of the U.S. nuclear deterrent, which would act to prevent the breakout of a large-scale war between the U.S. and the Soviet Union under the concept of Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD).

4. "We've invested a huge amount in nuclear deterrents, but we've actually invested very little in a system to stop an epidemic."