Meanings
nounsabre rattling (countable and uncountable, plural sabre rattlings)
plural sabre rattlings
- alternativecountableuncountableAlternative form of sabre-rattling.
verb
- gerundparticiplepresentpresent participle and gerund of sabre rattle
Synonyms & antonyms
nounthe ostentatious display of military power (with the implied threat that it might be used)
Similar
Broader
military actionaction
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Cite this entry
APA
sabre rattling. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sabre%20rattling
MLA
“sabre rattling.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sabre%20rattling. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “sabre rattling,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sabre%20rattling.
Source: sabre rattling on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.