gunboat diplomacy
noun
diplomatic relations involving the use or threat of military force, especially by a powerful nation against a weaker one.
Origin of gunboat diplomacy
First recorded in 1925–30
Words nearby gunboat diplomacy
gun-shy,
gun-toting,
gun.,
guna,
gunboat,
gunboat diplomacy,
guncotton,
gunda,
gundi,
gunfight,
gunfighter
British Dictionary definitions for gunboat diplomacy
gunboat diplomacy
noun
diplomacy conducted by threats of military intervention, esp by a major power against a militarily weak state
Cultural definitions for gunboat diplomacy
gunboat diplomacy
A policy toward a foreign country that depends on the use, or threat of the use, of arms. (See big stick diplomacy.)