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

His speech came as intermittent attacks continued in the Strait of Hormuz off Iran's coast, where commercial shipping remained below prewar levels. — Arkansas Online, 24 Sep. 2026

His speech came as intermittent attacks continued in the Strait of Hormuz off Iran’s coast, where commercial shipping remained below prewar levels. — Farnoush Amiri, Los Angeles Times, 23 Sep. 2026

By August, energy exports were running at roughly half their prewar level. — Richard Haass, Foreign Affairs, 23 Sep. 2026

The bank estimates that disruptions through Hormuz peaked at roughly 14 million barrels per day and have recently averaged between 4 million and 8 million barrels per day compared with prewar levels. — Deena Zaidi, CNBC, 22 Sep. 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