state of war

noun phrase

1

a

: a state of actual armed hostilities regardless of a formal declaration of war

b

: a legal state created and ended by official declaration regardless of actual armed hostilities and usually characterized by operation of the rules of war

2

: the period of time during which a state of war is in effect

Examples of state of war in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The dispute over the islands has prevented Tokyo and Moscow from signing a peace treaty since the end of the war, although a 1956 joint declaration ended the state of war between the two nations. — Sam Meredith,lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 14 Aug. 2026

Lebanon’s laws prevent its citizens from having contact with Israelis — the countries remain in a state of war since Israel was established in 1948 — and violators could face prison terms. — ABC News, 29 July 2026

The two countries have never had formal diplomatic ties and have been nominally in a state of war for nearly 80 years after Israel’s establishment. — Kareem Chehayeb, Los Angeles Times, 21 July 2026

The breakthrough could lead to a path of diplomatic normalization between the two countries, Lebanon and Israel, that are in a formal state of war. — Benjamin Weinthal, FOXNews.com, 26 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1634, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for state of war

• conquistador
• covenantor
• forevermore
• hereinbefore
• kinetochore
• kwashiorkor
• abhor
• abor
• adore
• afore
• ardour
• ashore