cold war

noun

1 : a conflict over ideological differences carried on by methods short of sustained overt military action and usually without breaking off diplomatic relations; specifically, often capitalized C&W : the ideological conflict between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. during the second half of the 20th century — compare hot war

2 : a condition of rivalry, mistrust, and often open hostility short of violence especially between power groups (such as labor and management)

See cold war defined for English-language learners

See cold war defined for kids

Examples of cold war in a Sentence

the era of the Cold War
the cold war between the party's more liberal and conservative members

Recent Examples of cold war from the Web

The cold war being waged across the DMZ on the Korean Peninsula remains, in may ways, a proxy between the U.S. and the People’s Republic, which have long been engaged in skirmishes over I.P. theft, price undercutting, and job exportation.

— tina nguyen, vanityfair.com, "Bannon Lays Groundwork for Economic War in China," 28 Sep. 2017
The United Federation of Planets and Klingons are engaged in a cold war that is about to get hot, with the USS Shenzhou on the outskirts of Federation space near Klingon territory. .

— bill keveney, USA TODAY, "5 things to know before boarding 'Star Trek: Discovery'," 22 Sep. 2017
Trailers have indicated the show also will explore the Federation-Klingon cold war and a Klingon character named T’Kuvma who attempts to unify his people.

— cyrus farivar, Ars Technica, "After debut, Star Trek: Discovery will only be available on CBS All Access," 23 Sep. 2017
Mrs Ri is not the only cold war relic that could be put back into service as a result of the test.

— The Economist, "A bomb for a bombNorth Korea’s nuclear test has left the South wanting nukes too," 7 Sep. 2017
Instead of swagger and threats, America should prepare for an extended cold war, containing and deterring a new nuclear power.

— The Economist, "BanyanIt is too late to get North Korea to give up its nukes," 30 Sep. 2017
This one centers on a cold war between the United Federation of Planets and the Klingon T'Kuvma race and stars Sonequa Martin-Green as Michael Burnham.

— christopher rosa, Glamour, "Watch This: 'This Is Us,' 'Will & Grace,' and 15 Other TV Shows and Movies Debuting This Week," 24 Sep. 2017
She is repeatedly written to pine after the equally canonically uncharacteristic Oliver and gets into a cold war over him with her bisexual sister, Sara (who was mistreated and eventually fridged, only to be haphazardly resurrected).

— clarkisha kent, The Root, "You Ain’t Got the Juice: Why Arrow Has No Business Addressing #BlackLivesMatter," 11 Sep. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'cold war.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of cold war

1945

COLD WAR Defined for English Language Learners

cold war

noun

the Cold War : the nonviolent conflict between the U.S. and the former U.S.S.R. after 1945
: a conflict or dispute between two groups that does not involve actual fighting