first strike

NOUN

tactic in warfare

Synonyms

WEAK

descent on descent upon preemptive nuclear attack preventive strike preventive war surgical strike

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The Caribbean campaign has killed at least 126 people since the first strike on Sept. 2, with the most recent airstrike occurring on Jan. 23.

From Salon

“Once the first strikes took place, there was nothing complicated about where to fly,” said another pilot.

From The Wall Street Journal

Footage of the first strike has already been released.

From BBC

In response to a reporter's question during a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Hegseth said that he watched the first strike "live" but quickly moved on to another meeting.

From BBC

“We didn’t come out hot, and we let them get the first strike in and we were battling for the rest of that game,” Rams defensive tackle Kobie Turner said.

From Los Angeles Times