warlord

noun

war·​lord ˈwȯr-ˌlȯrd 

1

: a supreme military leader

2

: a military commander exercising civil power by force usually in a limited area

warlordism

ˈwȯr-ˌlȯr-ˌdi-zəm 

noun

Examples of warlord in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The Trump administration’s African diplomatic team has made headway in striking a deal with the nation in which the U.S. would provide security assistance to the DRC government in its fight against warlords in return for U.S. access to critical minerals within the country. —John Berlau, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2025

Resting after a wild boar hunt, warlord (Tatsuya Nakadai) decides to divide his domain among his three sons. —Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 23 May 2025

In the year 1260 B.C., Noni is tasked with taking down a man known as the Lion (Cress Williams), a former Wakandan who took their nation's coveted technology and transformed himself into a warlord. —EW.com, 24 July 2025

Brolin made his foray into the Marvel Cinematic Universe as the warlord Thanos in the Avengers film series. —Sarah Weldon, EW.com, 7 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1856, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for warlord

• abhorred
• aboard
• accord
• adored
• afford
• award
• baseboard
• billboard
• blackboard
• boxboard
• breadboard
• broadsword

Kids Definition

warlord

noun

war·​lord ˈwȯ(ə)r-ˌlȯ(ə)rd 

1

: an important military leader

2

: a military leader who governs an area by force