1
: military operations between enemies : hostilities, war
also
: an activity undertaken by a political unit (such as a nation) to weaken or destroy another
economic warfare
2
: struggle between competing entities : conflict
see also biological warfare, chemical warfare, cyber warfare, germ warfare, psychological warfare, trench warfare
Synonyms
Examples of warfare in a Sentence
that troubled household seems to be almost constantly in a state of warfare
companies engaged in constant warfare for dominance in the market for smart phones and tablets
Recent Examples on the Web
The Caribbean nation’s crisis escalated earlier this year when gang warfare exploded, forcing the resignation of the then-government.
—
Hira Humayun, CNN, 19 July 2024
From engaging in an illicit affair that shattered her home and stability, to months of emotional warfare and now this attempt to further shirk personal responsibility for the effects his actions have had on her and her emotional wellbeing.
—Lester Fabian Brathwaite, EW.com, 18 July 2024
Mitchell and Glynn-Carney play the psychological sibling warfare with all the intensity of sports or combat, resulting in a scene on par with the eventual dragon fight for emotional stakes.
—Proma Khosla, IndieWire, 7 July 2024
For instance, Russia warned in 2022 that hacking one of its satellites would be taken as a declaration of war, which was a dramatic escalation from previous norms around warfare.
—Patrick Lin, Professor Of Philosophy, Discover Magazine, 6 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for warfare 
Hira Humayun, CNN, 19 July 2024
From engaging in an illicit affair that shattered her home and stability, to months of emotional warfare and now this attempt to further shirk personal responsibility for the effects his actions have had on her and her emotional wellbeing.
—Lester Fabian Brathwaite, EW.com, 18 July 2024
Mitchell and Glynn-Carney play the psychological sibling warfare with all the intensity of sports or combat, resulting in a scene on par with the eventual dragon fight for emotional stakes.
—Proma Khosla, IndieWire, 7 July 2024
For instance, Russia warned in 2022 that hacking one of its satellites would be taken as a declaration of war, which was a dramatic escalation from previous norms around warfare.
—Patrick Lin, Professor Of Philosophy, Discover Magazine, 6 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for warfare
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'warfare.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near warfare
Cite this Entry
“Warfare.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/warfare. Accessed 27 Jul. 2024.
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warfare
noun
war·fare
ˈwȯr-ˌfa(ə)r 
-ˌfe(ə)r
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