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
Russian and Ukrainian drones have been known to go off course during long-range strikes due to electronic warfare measures employed by the combatants.
—
Will Gretsky, ABC News, 10 Sep. 2025
The introduction of fiber-optic drones has reduced the effectiveness of traditional jammers, since these systems are resistant to electronic warfare.
—Vikram Mittal, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
The initiative seeks to develop advanced position, navigation, and timing (PNT) systems that allow unmanned aircraft to operate and maneuver collectively without relying on the Global Positioning System (GPS), which has become increasingly vulnerable to electronic warfare.
—Kapil Kajal, Interesting Engineering, 8 Sep. 2025
The devastating power of these relatively inexpensive unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) is reshaping the tactics of warfare.
—Brian Walsh, Fortune, 7 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for warfare
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.
Will Gretsky, ABC News, 10 Sep. 2025
The introduction of fiber-optic drones has reduced the effectiveness of traditional jammers, since these systems are resistant to electronic warfare.
—Vikram Mittal, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
The initiative seeks to develop advanced position, navigation, and timing (PNT) systems that allow unmanned aircraft to operate and maneuver collectively without relying on the Global Positioning System (GPS), which has become increasingly vulnerable to electronic warfare.
—Kapil Kajal, Interesting Engineering, 8 Sep. 2025
The devastating power of these relatively inexpensive unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) is reshaping the tactics of warfare.
—Brian Walsh, Fortune, 7 Sep. 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 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
warfare
noun
war·fare
ˈwȯr-ˌfa(ə)r 
-ˌfe(ə)r
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share