sabre rattle

A form of sabre-rattle — To threaten a big battle or war.

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Meanings

verbsabre rattle (third-person singular simple present sabre rattles, present participle sabre rattling, simple past and past participle sabre rattled)

present singular third person sabre rattles · participle present sabre rattling · participle past sabre rattled · past sabre rattled

  1. alternativeAlternative form of sabre-rattle.

    Those in the United States who want to sabre rattle at China and who think that this is a terrible threat are sadly mistaken.

    2007, Michael Moe, Finding the Next Starbucks
    2 more examples

    The head of the Montenegrin Communists, Momir Bulatovic, did not miss the opportunity to sabre rattle, even though only with words.

    1989, FBIS Daily Report: East Europe - Issues 195-202, page 87

    America can sabre rattle as much as it likes but the reality is they won't come to Israel's aid this time. That is even if they bother to sabre rattle, which I am beginning to doubt.

    2000, Paul Henke, Mayhem, page 119
Cite this entry
APA

sabre rattle. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sabre%20rattle

MLA

“sabre rattle.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sabre%20rattle. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “sabre rattle,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sabre%20rattle.

Source: sabre rattle on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.