tacnuke

In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.

Meaning · English

A tactical nuclear weapon.

Register: slang

Where it’s used: Used American English

Examples

Probably it would go as this: the Soviets attack with as little warning as possible in a holiday with a massive BC assault together with their mechanized wave. Maybe a tacnuke or two (or two dozens) are exchanged between WARPACT and NATO troops in Germany and Turkey (i'm thinking of the Thrace area)

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).

Common questions

What does “tacnuke” mean?

A tactical nuclear weapon.

Is “tacnuke” formal or informal?

tacnuke is generally slang.