world war

noun

Synonyms of world warnext
: 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
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Louis' boxing matches with Schmeling were viewed as pivotal international events in the context of the brewing world war with Nazi Germany. Tommy McArdle, PEOPLE, 18 June 2026 Horkheimer, amid the wreckage of world war, lost faith in progress; his dialectic negated one construct after another. Alex Ross, New Yorker, 15 June 2026 What the fear-itself speech heralded, then, was a fresh formulation of the American project rather than its demise, reimagining it for the challenges of economic upheaval and, eventually, world war. New York Times, 9 June 2026 Then again, not every artist has a family history quite like Baerwald’s, one that includes Germany and Japan, two world wars, a 1920s throuple and Beethoven’s Ninth. Bethanne Patrick, Los Angeles Times, 8 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for world war

Word History

First Known Use

1848, in the meaning defined above

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

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Cite this Entry

“World war.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/world%20war. Accessed 21 Jun. 2026.

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

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