war of words
noun phrase
: an argument in which people or groups criticize and disagree with each other publicly and repeatedly for usually a long time
Rival groups have engaged in a war of words over the new law.
Examples of war of words in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Cardi at one point outright challenged Minaj to share her location, appearing to escalate the war of words into something more serious.
—
Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 1 Oct. 2025
What started as a war of words quickly evolved into a bench-clearing fracas.
—Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 28 Sep. 2025
Somehow, though, in the war of words, college students tend to get the blame.
—Louis Menand, New Yorker, 26 Sep. 2025
The talk show host and senator previously engaged in a war of words.
—Christopher Tremoglie, The Washington Examiner, 24 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for war of words
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 1 Oct. 2025
What started as a war of words quickly evolved into a bench-clearing fracas.
—Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 28 Sep. 2025
Somehow, though, in the war of words, college students tend to get the blame.
—Louis Menand, New Yorker, 26 Sep. 2025
The talk show host and senator previously engaged in a war of words.
—Christopher Tremoglie, The Washington Examiner, 24 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for war of words
Cite this Entry
“War of words.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/war%20of%20words. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share