brinkmanship
noun
brink·man·ship
ˈbriŋk-mən-ˌship 
variants
or less commonly brinksmanship
: the art or practice of pushing a dangerous situation or confrontation to the limit of safety especially to force a desired outcome
Examples of brinkmanship in a Sentence
two nations caught up in nuclear brinksmanship
Recent Examples on the Web
Erdogan may have hoped his brinkmanship would enhance the perception of him as an invaluable power broker.
—
Henri J. Barkey, Foreign Affairs, 17 Aug. 2023
The Kremlin’s clandestine project to station hyper-powerful weapons in orbit could escalate its nuclear brinkmanship, conducted via a barrage of threats to deploy its atomic arsenal - the world’s largest - against any Western ally directly helping Ukraine repel its Russian invaders.
—Kevin Holden Platt, Forbes.com, 30 May 2025
All this brinkmanship has made major global development actors like the Paris Club of rich creditor nations determined not to recognize Afreximbank as a classic multilateral development bank.
—Bright Simons, semafor.com, 9 June 2025
That the spiraling conflict is predicated on a premature conclusion by India that Pakistan was responsible for a terrorist attack in Kashmir last month makes the nuclear brinkmanship all the more alarming.
—Christopher Shays, New York Daily News, 10 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for brinkmanship
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Henri J. Barkey, Foreign Affairs, 17 Aug. 2023
The Kremlin’s clandestine project to station hyper-powerful weapons in orbit could escalate its nuclear brinkmanship, conducted via a barrage of threats to deploy its atomic arsenal - the world’s largest - against any Western ally directly helping Ukraine repel its Russian invaders.
—Kevin Holden Platt, Forbes.com, 30 May 2025
All this brinkmanship has made major global development actors like the Paris Club of rich creditor nations determined not to recognize Afreximbank as a classic multilateral development bank.
—Bright Simons, semafor.com, 9 June 2025
That the spiraling conflict is predicated on a premature conclusion by India that Pakistan was responsible for a terrorist attack in Kashmir last month makes the nuclear brinkmanship all the more alarming.
—Christopher Shays, New York Daily News, 10 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for brinkmanship
Cite this Entry
“Brinkmanship.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/brinkmanship. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
brinkmanship
noun
brink·man·ship
ˈbriŋk-mən-ˌship
: the practice of pushing a dangerous situation to the limit of safety before stopping
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