civil war

noun

plural civil wars

: a war between opposing groups of citizens of the same country

a country on the brink of (a) civil war

—often used in the capitalized names of specific wars

the Spanish Civil War

(American/U.S.) Civil War monuments

Note: The American Civil War, fought 1861–1865 between the United States and 11 southern states that had seceded from it, is also commonly known as the U.S. Civil War, or especially in the U.S. as the War Between the States or simply the Civil War.

Examples of civil war in a Sentence

a region that has had many civil wars

The country is on the brink of civil war.

Recent Examples on the Web

Republicans are so at odds about how to handle Fuentes’s encroachment into their ranks that many commentators have likened their infighting to a civil war and posed it as a battle for the soul of the conservative movement. —Ali Breland, The Atlantic, 15 Nov. 2025

Political instability, as well as Myanmar’s civil war, have eroded job prospects for the young, who now provide a steady source of labor for scam centers. —Jason Ma, Fortune, 15 Nov. 2025

The paramilitary force battling the army in Sudan's civil war is shifting its focus eastward after consolidating its grip over Darfur last month, reigniting violence and launching drone attacks across the country's oil-producing southern areas. —Reuters, NBC news, 13 Nov. 2025

Authorities charged college student Tyler Robinson with the crime, but lately, a civil war has erupted among conservatives over conspiratorial claims that the Mossad had a hand in the murder. —Tatiana Siegel, Variety, 13 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1533, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for civil war

• albacore
• alongshore
• antiwar
• anymore
• blastopore
• carnivore
• commodore
• dinosaur
• evermore
• furthermore
• guarantor
• herbivore

Kids Definition

civil war

noun

: a war between opposing groups of citizens of the same country or nation