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, trench warfare
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
Its platforms are built for missions including intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, electronic warfare, and low-signature coastal or open-ocean maneuvers.
—
Kapil Kajal, Interesting Engineering, 9 Dec. 2025
Deep-seabed mining would also advance another Chinese security imperative by facilitating the mapping of the seabed and the laying of undersea cables that can be used in support of naval and submarine warfare.
—Elizabeth Economy, Foreign Affairs, 9 Dec. 2025
Experts say an arms race between the cartels — which generate tens of billions of dollars in revenue each year — has pushed some to send members to train as drone operators in Ukraine, which has become the global hotspot for drone warfare.
—Jeronimo Gonzalez, semafor.com, 8 Dec. 2025
Out of prison and barely escaping explosive warfare in the streets of Free town, Solomon and Danny become partners in a quest to retrieve the stone.
—Sheri Linden, HollywoodReporter, 8 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for warfare
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Kapil Kajal, Interesting Engineering, 9 Dec. 2025
Deep-seabed mining would also advance another Chinese security imperative by facilitating the mapping of the seabed and the laying of undersea cables that can be used in support of naval and submarine warfare.
—Elizabeth Economy, Foreign Affairs, 9 Dec. 2025
Experts say an arms race between the cartels — which generate tens of billions of dollars in revenue each year — has pushed some to send members to train as drone operators in Ukraine, which has become the global hotspot for drone warfare.
—Jeronimo Gonzalez, semafor.com, 8 Dec. 2025
Out of prison and barely escaping explosive warfare in the streets of Free town, Solomon and Danny become partners in a quest to retrieve the stone.
—Sheri Linden, HollywoodReporter, 8 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for warfare
Cite this Entry
“Warfare.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/warfare. Accessed 10 Dec. 2025.
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warfare
noun
war·fare
ˈwȯr-ˌfa(ə)r 
-ˌfe(ə)r
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