wartime

noun

war·​time ˈwȯr-ˌtīm 

often attributive

: a period during which a war is in progress

rationing during wartime

Examples of wartime in a Sentence

Many goods were rationed during wartime.

Recent Examples on the Web

Odin is a bionic dog, with titanium teeth and a prosthetic foot from injuries sustained during wartime, but nothing slows him down, not even a plane crash. — Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep. 2026

Modern-day passport controls date back to World War I, originally conceived of as a temporary measure to regulate mass movement of people during wartime. — Andrew Nachemson, The Dial, 22 Sep. 2026

The family fled to Canada during wartime but returned to Britain after a few months. — Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 22 Sep. 2026

The Articles of Confederation set up a framework that was OK during wartime but too weak for building a new nation. — Sandra Slater, The Conversation, 21 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for wartime

• airtime
• bedtime
• daytime
• downtime
• enzyme
• halftime
• lifetime
• longtime
• lunchtime
• mealtime
• meantime
• nighttime

Kids Definition

wartime

noun

war·​time ˈwȯ(ə)r-ˌtīm 

: a period when a war is going on