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
After Gaddafi was deposed, Libya fell into civil war and currently exists in a state of fragile ceasefire that could be broken at any time.
—
Faisal Kutty, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 May 2025
The ongoing civil war has caused one of the world’s worst humanitarian catastrophes and diplomatic efforts to bring the conflict to an end have failed.
—Rob Picheta, CNN Money, 5 May 2025
In the last decade, RFA has broken stories on China's detention campaign on ethnic Uyghurs and continued on-the-ground reporting in Myanmar in the midst of a civil war.
—Emily Feng, NPR, 2 May 2025
Authorities have so far been unable to corral those factions, many of which fought by their side during the civil war and are now putative allies in the country’s new security apparatus.
—Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 30 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for civil war
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Faisal Kutty, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 May 2025
The ongoing civil war has caused one of the world’s worst humanitarian catastrophes and diplomatic efforts to bring the conflict to an end have failed.
—Rob Picheta, CNN Money, 5 May 2025
In the last decade, RFA has broken stories on China's detention campaign on ethnic Uyghurs and continued on-the-ground reporting in Myanmar in the midst of a civil war.
—Emily Feng, NPR, 2 May 2025
Authorities have so far been unable to corral those factions, many of which fought by their side during the civil war and are now putative allies in the country’s new security apparatus.
—Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 30 Apr. 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 14 May. 2025.
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