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

The takeover triggered widespread popular opposition that has grown into a civil war. —Arkansas Online, 28 Dec. 2025

Or how a British charity cleared 300,000 land mines left over from a civil war in Sri Lanka, foot by foot. —David Pogue, CBS News, 28 Dec. 2025

The country has experienced several waves of sectarian clashes since the fall of former President Bashar Assad in a lightning rebel offensive in December 2024 that brought to an end nearly 14 years of civil war. —CNN Money, 28 Dec. 2025

The vote will be taking place despite a brutal, ongoing civil war that followed the military's 2021 coup, plunging the country into chaos. —Michael Sullivan, NPR, 27 Dec. 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