prewar

adjective

pre·​war ˌprē-ˈwȯr 

variants or pre-war

: occurring or existing before a war and especially before World War II

prewar conditions

the prewar era/period/years

the country's prewar population

prewar levels of industrial production

an apartment in a prewar building

Examples of prewar in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Traffic has also remained far below prewar levels, even as some vessels continued to cross. — Mithil Aggarwal, NBC news, 25 June 2026

But exports remain well below prewar levels when 15 million bpd exited the strait. — Spencer Kimball, CNBC, 24 June 2026

Traffic through the waterway has more than tripled since a US-Iran interim peace deal, but remains far below prewar levels. — semafor.com, 26 June 2026

At the same time, Russia’s sovereign wealth fund, which has been tapped to cover budget shortfalls, is being rapidly depleted and just a fraction of prewar levels. — Jason Ma, Fortune, 27 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1868, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for prewar

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

Kids Definition

prewar

adjective

pre·​war

ˈprē-ˈwȯ(ə)r

: occurring or existing before a war