first strike

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a surprise attack with nuclear weapons, made with the intention of destroying an enemy nation's means of effective retaliation

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See first strike in American Heritage Dictionary 4

noun
A preemptive attack against an enemy, especially one using nuclear weapons against an enemy armed with nuclear weapons.

Related Forms:

  • firstˈ-strikeˈ (fûrstˈstrīkˈ) adjective

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© 1996-2013 LoveToKnow, Corp. All Rights Reserved. Audio pronunciation provided by LoveToKnow, Corp.