warlord

noun

war·​lord ˈwȯr-ˌlȯrd How to pronounce warlord (audio)
Synonyms of warlordnext
1
: a supreme military leader
2
: a military commander exercising civil power by force usually in a limited area
warlordism noun

Examples of warlord in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Punishment, some said, for Amodei comparing the president to a feudal warlord and privately urging people to vote for Kamala Harris. Joe Hagan, Vanity Fair, 18 Mar. 2026 Masahiro Motoki — the Oscar-winning star of Departures — plays a lord who rebels against warlord Oda Nobunaga and barricades himself inside Arioka Castle, only to face a string of unsolved murders within its walls. Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 18 Mar. 2026 Over the course of decades, the Nationalists clashed with the Communist Party led by future dictator Mao Zedong, the Japanese Empire (which controlled the formerly Chinese island of Taiwan), and various warlords seeking to carve out their own kingdoms amid the chaos. Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 13 Mar. 2026 Iain Glen is swapping the warlords of Westeros for the Vikings in his latest project. Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 27 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for warlord

Word History

First Known Use

1856, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of warlord was in 1856

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Cite this Entry

“Warlord.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/warlord. Accessed 27 Mar. 2026.

Kids Definition

warlord

noun
1
: an important military leader
2
: a military leader who governs an area by force

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