warfare

noun

war·​fare ˈwȯr-ˌfer 

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

Synonyms of warfare

• war
• strife
• discord
• conflict
• friction
• discordance
• discordancy
• schism
• dissent

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

Rinkēvičs also warned that NATO must accelerate its adaptation to the rapidly changing nature of warfare, particularly the growing role of drones and missile technology. — Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 24 Sep. 2026

The work also taps manufacturing infrastructure Lyntris already uses for radar and electronic warfare programs. — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 24 Sep. 2026

Unfortunately, in modern warfare, noncombatants are often caught between the belligerents, resulting in terrible civilian casualties, but this is not intentional genocide. — Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 24 Sep. 2026

The wisdom of fully incorporating AI into warfare has already been questioned by some research. — Will McCurdy, PC Magazine, 19 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from werre, warre war + fare journey, passage — more at fare

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing warfare

• biological warfare
• chemical warfare
• cyber warfare
• germ warfare
• psychological warfare
• trench warfare

Rhymes for warfare

• abwehr
• affair
• affaire
• airfare
• altair
• armchair
• aware
• beware
• bugbear
• carfare
• childcare
• compare

Kids Definition

warfare

noun

war·​fare ˈwȯr-ˌfa(ə)r 

-ˌfe(ə)r

1

a

: military fighting between enemies : war

b

: activity undertaken by one country or group to weaken or destroy another

economic warfare

2

: a struggle between competitors : conflict

industrial warfare