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 Soviet Union 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)

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 on the Web

But interviews for that profile were conducted weeks ago, and Puck first reported earlier this week that since then, Netflix struck a deal with AMC to show KPop Demon Hunters in its theaters — a sign of thawing relations between two companies that had been engaged in a cold war since around 2019. —Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2025

Since that gathering in March, what had been a cold war has gone hot. —Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 1 Oct. 2025

Wright and Cooke both lean right into the emotionally heightened madness of it all, especially as Laura and Cherry’s cold war turns extremely, violently hot. —Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 8 Sep. 2025

The border cold war finally thawed, and over the next decade-plus the schools slowly renewed acquaintances in several sports, including men’s basketball. —Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 31 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1909, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for cold war

• abhor
• abor
• adore
• afore
• ardour
• ashore
• backdoor
• before
• bookstore
• candour
• centaur
• claymore

Kids Definition

cold war

noun

: a struggle over political differences (as of two nations) carried on by methods short of war and usually without breaking off diplomatic relations