nuke it from orbit

verb

To completely eliminate a dangerous or undesirable thing.

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Meanings

verbnuke it from orbit (third-person singular simple present nukes it from orbit, present participle nuking it from orbit, simple past and past participle nuked it from orbit)

present singular third person nukes it from orbit · participle present nuking it from orbit · participle past nuked it from orbit · past nuked it from orbit

  1. humorousinformaloftenTo completely eliminate a dangerous or undesirable thing.

Origin

Alteration of dialog from the 1986 movie Aliens in which Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) proposes a solution to an infestation of dangerous creatures: "I say we take off and nuke the entire site from orbit. It's the only way to be sure."

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

Source: nuke it from orbit on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.