Phrase guide

gunboat diplomacy

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

The pursuit of foreign policy objectives with the aid of conspicuous displays of military power.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, idiomatic, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

diplomacy in which the nations threaten to use force in order to obtain their objectives

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: power politics

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: diplomacy, diplomatic negotiations

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

8 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Mandarin: 炮艦外交 /炮舰外交 (pàojiàn wàijiāo) — the pursuit of foreign policy objectives by display of military power
  • Danish: kanonbådsdiplomati — the pursuit of foreign policy objectives by display of military power
  • Finnish: tykkivenediplomatia — the pursuit of foreign policy objectives by display of military power
  • French: diplomatie de la canonnière — the pursuit of foreign policy objectives by display of military power
  • French: politique de la canonnière — the pursuit of foreign policy objectives by display of military power
  • Hebrew: דִּיפְּלוֹמַטְיָה שֶׁל סְפִינוֹת תּוֹתָחִים (diplomatia shel sfinot totakhim) — the pursuit of foreign policy objectives by display of military power
  • Swedish: kanonbåtsdiplomati — the pursuit of foreign policy objectives by display of military power
  • Ukrainian: диплома́тія каноне́рок (dyplomátija kanonérok) — the pursuit of foreign policy objectives by display of military power