saber-rattling

[ sey-ber-rat-ling ]

/ ˈseɪ bərˌræt lɪŋ /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR saber-rattling ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a show or threat of military power, especially as used by a nation to impose its policies on other countries.

Origin of saber-rattling

First recorded in 1920–25; see origin at saber, rattle¹, -ing¹

Words nearby saber-rattling

SABC, Sabean, Sabellian, saber, sabermetrics, saber-rattling, saber saw, saber shin, saber tibia, saber-toothed, saber-toothed tiger

Dictionary.com UnabridgedBased on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for saber-rattling

Indeed, saber-rattling or not, we should take Ryan seriously.
Paul Ryan Panders With a Threat to Take the Debt Ceiling Hostage, Again|Jamelle Bouie|December 16, 2013|DAILY BEAST
“This is saber-rattling à la North Korea,” he said in a television interview.
Between Gibraltar and a Hard Place|Barbie Latza Nadeau|August 7, 2013|DAILY BEAST
And Obama has worked to push American foreign policy beyond Carterite apologetics or Bushesque saber-rattling.
Carter Is Worse Than Clint|Gil Troy|September 4, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Sanctions and saber-rattling alone were never going to do the trick, nor would periodic efforts at one-shot diplomacy.
Don't Prove Walt and Mearsheimer Right|Lara Friedman|March 15, 2012|DAILY BEAST

Idioms and Phrases with saber-rattling

saber rattling

A flamboyant display of military power; also, aggressive blustering. For example, There had been a great deal of saber rattling between the two nations but hostilities had never broken out. This term, originating about 1920 and alluding to an officer indicating he would draw his saber, at first referred to threatening military force but later was extended to more general use, as in Both candidates engaged in pre-debate saber rattling.