Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. A theory that if one nation comes under Communist control, then neighboring nations will also come under Communist control.
- n. A theory that one event will set off a train of similar events.
Wiktionary
- n. politics, historical The theory that, if South Vietnam fell to Communism, it would be followed by Cambodia, Laos, and additional South Asian countries.
GNU Webster's 1913
- A political theory current in the 1960's, according to which the conversion of one country in South Asia to communism will start a sequential process causing all Asian countries to convert to Communism.
WordNet 3.0
- n. the political theory that if one nation comes under communist control then neighboring nations will also come under communist control
Etymologies
- An allusion to a row of dominoes in which the fall of one leads to a cascade of falling pieces. (Wiktionary)
Examples
“With U.S. forces knee-deep in Vietnam and the domino theory still a central tenet of U.S. foreign policy, the CIA began providing covert support to various insurgencies inside Indonesia, and cultivated close links with Indonesia’s military officers, many of whom had been trained in the United States.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘domino theory’.
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SEDE - principles and indicators
publicity, readiness, use of force, deterrence, K-kill, damage, morals, range, power, information security, balance of power, compliance with t... and 184 more...
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Loaded Words Part Deux: Two Words Tha...
See also the list Loaded Words (wordnik.com/lists/loaded-words). Two ordinary words (i.e. not proper nouns--Berlin wall or Utah beach wouldn't fit here) that not only combine to make a third concep...
cotton gin, wagon trail, gold rush, democratic republic, wounded knee, wage slavery, rat race, manifest destiny, eminent domain, pork barrel, gateway drug, talking points and 43 more...
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All the Presidents' Words
Words coined or popularized by U.S. presidents.
administration, Brother Jonathan, Jeffersonian, belittle, odometer, public relations, kitchen cabinet, Jacksonian, spoils system, OK, lame duck, teddy bear and 27 more...
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