nuke and pave

verb

To wipe a computer's hard disk and reinstall everything, as a drastic fix for problems.

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Meanings

verbnuke and pave (third-person singular simple present nukes and paves, present participle nuking and paving, simple past and past participle nuked and paved)

present singular third person nukes and paves · participle present nuking and paving · participle past nuked and paved · past nuked and paved

  1. slangcomputingTo wipe a computer's hard disk and reinstall everything, as a drastic fix for problems.

    I'm so sorry, I was hoping that we could see each other . . . there is a solution to this, when you are here, before you go back, I can take my computer in and get it nuked and paved.

    2009, T. G. Diamond, My Darling Davis, how real is your love?, page 290
Cite this entry
APA

nuke and pave. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nuke%20and%20pave

MLA

“nuke and pave.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nuke%20and%20pave. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “nuke and pave,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nuke%20and%20pave.

Source: nuke and pave on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.