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 warsthe 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
About a decade ago, amid Syria's civil war, volunteers built a small, underground amusement park so little ones could play, shielded from bombing and shelling.
—
Juliana Kim, NPR, 5 Oct. 2025
And the civil war shows little sign of abating.
—Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 4 Oct. 2025
During a three-day rampage of gang violence, some 80 people died — the deadliest days in El Salvador since its civil war.
—T. Christian Miller, ProPublica, 30 Sep. 2025
Reynolds and first mate Zoë Washburne (Gina Torres) have more reason than most to mistrust this totalitarian government, having fought for the losing Independents (known colloquially as Browncoats) in a brutal civil war against the Alliance.
—Richard Edwards, Space.com, 30 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for civil war
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Juliana Kim, NPR, 5 Oct. 2025
And the civil war shows little sign of abating.
—Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 4 Oct. 2025
During a three-day rampage of gang violence, some 80 people died — the deadliest days in El Salvador since its civil war.
—T. Christian Miller, ProPublica, 30 Sep. 2025
Reynolds and first mate Zoë Washburne (Gina Torres) have more reason than most to mistrust this totalitarian government, having fought for the losing Independents (known colloquially as Browncoats) in a brutal civil war against the Alliance.
—Richard Edwards, Space.com, 30 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for civil war
Cite this Entry
“Civil war.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/civil%20war. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share