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 civil war, in which famine and fighting killed hundreds of thousands, has been paused by a ceasefire since ⁠2022. — Freddie Clayton, NBC news, 26 July 2026

Wheeler, a civil war veteran who visited Aspen in 1883, also built an opulent three-story opera house. — John Meyer, Denver Post, 26 July 2026

The World Bank released an assessment last year that said rebuilding Syria after over a decade of civil war is expected to cost about $216 billion. — ABC News, 25 July 2026

Fleetwood Mac isn’t in much better shape following the death of Christine McVie in 2022 and a civil war between Nicks and Buckingham that’s only recently thawed to at least a tiny degree. — Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 23 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1533, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for civil war

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

Kids Definition

civil war

noun

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