Meanings
plural gunboat diplomacies
- countableidiomaticuncountableThe pursuit of foreign policy objectives with the aid of conspicuous displays of military power.
The British and French, who had sought to make policy by reviving 19th century gunboat diplomacy, had temporarily lost their credentials for world statesmanship.
1956 Dec. 3, Acclaim & Misgivings, Time1 more example
China has ratcheted up its standard gunboat diplomacy—the repeated warnings that it would use force if necessary to unite the island and mainland—more than a month before Taiwanese voters go to the polls.
2004 Feb, 21, Yan Hua, China warns Taiwan with military exercises, Asia Times Online (retrieved 23 March 2015)
Synonyms & antonyms
noundiplomacy in which the nations threaten to use force in order to obtain their objectives
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Translations
Chinese Mandarin 炮艦外交 /炮舰外交
- 炮艦外交 /炮舰外交 (pàojiàn wàijiāo)the pursuit of foreign policy objectives by display of military power
Danish kanonbådsdiplomati
- kanonbådsdiplomatithe pursuit of foreign policy objectives by display of military power
Finnish tykkivenediplomatia
- tykkivenediplomatiathe pursuit of foreign policy objectives by display of military power
French diplomatie de la canonnière, politique de la canonnière
- diplomatie de la canonnièrethe pursuit of foreign policy objectives by display of military power
- politique de la canonnièrethe pursuit of foreign policy objectives by display of military power
Hebrew דִּיפְּלוֹמַטְיָה שֶׁל סְפִינוֹת תּוֹתָחִים
- דִּיפְּלוֹמַטְיָה שֶׁל סְפִינוֹת תּוֹתָחִים (diplomatia shel sfinot totakhim)the pursuit of foreign policy objectives by display of military power
Swedish kanonbåtsdiplomati
- kanonbåtsdiplomatithe pursuit of foreign policy objectives by display of military power
Ukrainian диплома́тія каноне́рок
- диплома́тія каноне́рок (dyplomátija kanonérok)the pursuit of foreign policy objectives by display of military power
Cite this entry
gunboat diplomacy. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gunboat%20diplomacy
“gunboat diplomacy.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gunboat%20diplomacy. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “gunboat diplomacy,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gunboat%20diplomacy.
Source: gunboat diplomacy on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.