warfare

noun

war·​fare ˈwȯr-ˌfer 

1

: military operations between enemies : hostilities, war

also : an activity undertaken by a political unit (such as a nation) to weaken or destroy another

economic warfare

2

: struggle between competing entities : conflict

see also:

biological warfare chemical warfare cyber warfare germ warfare trench warfare

Synonyms of warfare

• war
• strife
• discord
• conflict
• friction
• discordance
• discordancy
• schism
• dissent

Examples of warfare in a Sentence

that troubled household seems to be almost constantly in a state of warfare

companies engaged in constant warfare for dominance in the market for smart phones and tablets

Recent Examples on the Web

And, although many more have suffered the devastating consequences of other kinds of warfare, most people who are of age today have grown up in relatively stable worlds that were presided over by either one or two Superpowers. —Literary Hub, 27 May 2026

The company also describes the aircraft as supporting ISR, electronic warfare, communications relay, and even launching effects payloads. —Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 26 May 2026

Some of his strongest language in the document was directed toward the impact that AI could have in warfare. —Nandika Chatterjee, Time, 26 May 2026

What Runs Underneath Modern warfare has not become easy, clean, or cheap. —Jon Markman, Forbes.com, 26 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from werre, warre war + fare journey, passage — more at fare

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing warfare

• biological warfare
• chemical warfare
• cyber warfare
• germ warfare
• psychological warfare
• trench warfare

Rhymes for warfare

• abwehr
• affair
• affaire
• airfare
• altair
• armchair
• aware
• beware
• bugbear
• carfare
• childcare
• compare

Kids Definition

warfare

noun

war·​fare ˈwȯr-ˌfa(ə)r 

-ˌfe(ə)r

1

a

: military fighting between enemies : war

b

: activity undertaken by one country or group to weaken or destroy another

economic warfare

2

: a struggle between competitors : conflict

industrial warfare