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

The currency, meanwhile, has fallen more than 10% from its prewar level, adding to the economic pressure on Iranians. — Magdalena Del Valle, Fortune, 13 Aug. 2026

Just six vessels passed through Hormuz on Monday, compared to a prewar average of more than 130; Bab el-Mandeb’s throughput had already halved before yesterday’s attacks. — Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 12 Aug. 2026

Traffic is even more disrupted in the ​Strait of Hormuz, with just six ships passing through on Monday, down from a ‌10-day average of about 11 and prewar levels of 130 to 140. — Reuters, NBC news, 12 Aug. 2026

The nation will not be back at prewar defense missile levels until the middle of 2029 and at prewar Tomahawk missile levels until 2030 or 2031, according to the CSIS analysis. — James Powel, USA Today, 9 Aug. 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