With the collapse of the former Soviet Union, the possibility of a nuclear holocaust (=a nuclear war that destroys much of the Earth) was greatly reduced.holocausthol‧o‧caust /ˈhɒləkɔːst $ ˈhɑːləkɒːst/ noun [countable] 
a nuclear holocaust2the Holocaust the killing of millions of Jews and other people by the Nazis during the Second World War
WORD ORIGINholocaust
Origin:
1200-1300 Old French holocauste, from Greek holokaustos ‘burnt whole’, from holos ‘whole’ + kaiein ‘to burn’EXAMPLES FROM THE CORPUS
- Dance music that might survive a nuclear holocaust.
- He realized that the world had changed and that each side was capable of destroying the other in a nuclear holocaust.
- In the final play Freedom to Party the holocaust is over, but the battles remain.
- Nuclear deterrence becomes nuclear holocaust when local wars get out of hand.
- On the following day Walesa visited the Yad Veshem memorial to the victims of the holocaust.
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES With the collapse of the former Soviet Union, the possibility of a nuclear holocaust (=a nuclear war that destroys much of the Earth) was greatly reduced.COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADJECTIVE
With the collapse of the former Soviet Union, the possibility of a nuclear holocaust (=a nuclear war that destroys much of the Earth) was greatly reduced.· He realized that the world had changed and that each side was capable of destroying the other in a nuclear holocaust.· Dance music that might survive a nuclear holocaust.· The novel's apocalyptic ending takes on a universal dimension by being implicitly compared to a nuclear holocaust.· Nuclear deterrence becomes nuclear holocaust when local wars get out of hand.· Ironically it looked more like a scene from after the nuclear holocaust instead of a plea to prevent one.
PHRASES FROM THE ENTRY
1a situation in which there is great destruction and a lot of people die: - In the final play Freedom to Party the holocaust is over, but the battles remain.
- One way we tried to comprehend the Holocaust was by developing certain misapprehensions about it.
- Particularly important are its compelling eyewitness interviews, since there are still those among us who actually believe the Holocaust never happened.
- She could send him a proof of the article on the Holocaust she had written for Fem Sap.
- She learned only in recent weeks that three grandparents and other relatives who stayed behind died in the Holocaust.
- Some critics echo the radical anti-abortion lobby in comparing stem cell research to the Holocaust.
- Unless he changes his mind, there may be more holocausts to remember on the Holocaust memorial days to come.
a nuclear holocaust2the Holocaust the killing of millions of Jews and other people by the Nazis during the Second World War