world war

noun

: a war engaged in by all or most of the principal nations of the world
especially, World War : either of two such wars of the first half of the 20th century

Examples of world war in a Sentence

He fought in both World Wars. The nations were prepared for world war.
Recent Examples on the Web Katie Hafner: For women in the U.K. between the two world wars, studying chemistry was especially hard. Katie Hafner, Scientific American, 24 Oct. 2024 Season 2 is a sweeping love story against a massive world war. Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 11 Oct. 2024 The two world wars had ushered in a golden era for physics, thanks to the discipline’s military and industrial applications. Yangyang Cheng, NPR, 5 Sep. 2024 Before both world wars, Washington sought neutrality. Hans Binnendijk, Foreign Affairs, 13 May 2024 See all Example Sentences for world war 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'world war.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1848, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of world war was in 1848

Dictionary Entries Near world war

Cite this Entry

“World war.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/world%20war. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

world war

noun
: a war involving all or most of the chief nations of the world
especially, capitalized both Ws : either of two such wars of the 20th century

More from Merriam-Webster on world war

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