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

Flows via Hormuz are unlikely to return to prewar levels anytime soon, even after a deal is reached between Oman and Iran for managing traffic via the critical waterway. — Anniek Bao, CNBC, 7 Aug. 2026

Raise the price floor to $4 million, the accepted luxury threshold, and the gap between prewar co-ops and post-2000 condos becomes more pronounced. — John Walkup, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026

Dubai’s population has surpassed its prewar level, countering the narrative that the Iran conflict would drive out the city’s expats. — semafor.com, 5 Aug. 2026

Since the onset of the war in February, traffic in the Strait of Hormuz has dwindled from its prewar rate of more than 100 ships per day passing through the chokepoint to about 33 today, according to maritime data tracker Kpler. — Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 3 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