war

noun, often attributive \ ˈwȯr \

|Updated on: 17 Jun 2018

Examples: war in a Sentence

Definition of war

1 a (1) : a state of usually open and declared armed hostile conflict between states or nations

(2) : a period of such armed conflict

(3) : state of war

b : the art or science of warfare

c (1) obsolete : weapons and equipment for war

(2) archaic : soldiers armed and equipped for war

2 a : a state of hostility, conflict, or antagonism

b : a struggle or competition between opposing forces or for a particular end

a class war

a war against disease

c : variance, odds 3

—

warless

play \ˈwȯr-ləs\ adjective

See war defined for English-language learners

See war defined for kids

Examples of war in a Sentence

They fought a war over the disputed territory.
A war broke out when the colonists demanded their independence.
We need to resolve our conflicts without resorting to war.
People behave differently during a time of war.
The taking of American hostages was seen as an act of war by the United States.
the budget wars in Washington

Recent Examples of war from the Web

Rising oil prices and the threat of trade wars have also raised concern in Europe and around the world.

— tom fairless, WSJ, "Diverging Fortunes in U.S. and Europe Signal Widening Interest-Rate Gap," 12 June 2018
Golden is a veteran of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and a former staffer for Sen. Susan Collins.

— dylan scott, Vox, "Voters head to the polls in Virginia, Nevada, Maine, and South Carolina.," 11 June 2018
As with polio pandemics, the deep damage of the last trade war has passed from common memory.

— michael hicks, Indianapolis Star, "Hicks: What's a trade war? We may soon find out.," 10 June 2018
Trump is now engaged in a series of trade wars with numerous countries in Europe, North America, and Asia, which could impact the flow of hundreds of billions of dollars in goods, including automobiles, agricultural products, and technology.

— author: damian paletta, anne gearan, john wagner, Anchorage Daily News, "Trump calls for Russia to be reinstated to G-7, threatens allies on trade," 8 June 2018
Harrington is a veteran of the mommy wars who, fascinatingly, has fought on both sides.

— katherine heiny, New York Times, "The Struggles of Modern Motherhood in Essays, a Thriller and a Dystopian Novel," 8 June 2018
Under the looming threat of trade wars, huge countries threaten to impose duties on each other with hundreds of billions of dollars at stake.

— christine mcdaniel, Fortune, "America Expects Too Much From the WTO. But It’s Our Problem to Fix," 7 June 2018
This film addresses moral injury, the signature wound of the current wars.

— Courant Community, "Community News For The Valley Edition," 5 June 2018
But his tantrum against the Philadelphia Eagles places him in a highly vulnerable position, potentially turning the tide of the culture wars against him decisively.

— jonathan chait, Daily Intelligencer, "Trump Is Going to Lose His War on Football," 5 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'war.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of war

Middle English werre, from Anglo-French werre, guerre, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German werra strife; akin to Old High German werran to confuse

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First Known Use: 12th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

See Words from the same year

war Synonyms

Other Military Terms

bivouac, logistics, petard, salient, sally, supernumerary, tactical

war

verb

Definition of war

warred; warring

intransitive verb

1 : to be in active or vigorous conflict

2 : to engage in warfare

Recent Examples of war from the Web

Since losing her parliamentary majority last year, May has been forced to adjudicate between warring factions within her Conservative Party, something that has led her to postpone a number of important decisions.

— stephen castle, BostonGlobe.com, "Facing defeat on Brexit, Theresa May gives ground to UK’s Parliament," 13 June 2018
In the historic first meeting between the leaders of the technically-still-warring nations, Trump is prioritizing instinct over planning.

— zeke miller and catherine lucey, chicagotribune.com, "Unorthodox Trump faces toughest test yet in North Korea summit," 10 June 2018
In the historic first meeting between the leaders of the technically-still-warring nations, Trump is prioritizing instinct over planning.

— Fox News, "Unorthodox Trump faces toughest test yet in summit with Kim," 10 June 2018
Leaders of Libya’s warring political factions, including Fayez Sarraj, prime minister of the Tripoli government, and Mr. Haftar, who controls much of eastern Libya, set a path to elections later this year at a meeting in Paris on May 29.

— james marson, WSJ, "After Military Push in Syria, Russia Plays Both Sides in Libya," 7 June 2018
Galaxy's Edge will immerse visitors in the Star Wars universe, transporting them to a remote trading outpost largely ignored by warring factions.

— scott craven, USA TODAY, "Star Wars-themed land to open in summer 2019 at Disneyland, fall 2019 at Disney World," 23 May 2018
For years, families searching for their missing in Tamaulipas have done so amid warring drug cartels and authorities indifferent to their plight and sometimes complicit in the disappearances.

— aaron nelsen, San Antonio Express-News, "Tamaulipas begins first-of-its-kind exhumation of drug war victims," 7 May 2018
In other parts of the country, such as the seaside resort of Acapulco, the cartel system has collapsed completely, with historic levels of violence being driven by dozens of warring street gangs.

— kate linthicum, latimes.com, "Mexican authorities capture alleged boss of notorious Zetas cartel in Mexico City," 9 Feb. 2018
Libya’s warring political factions Tuesday reached a preliminary deal to hold national elections in December, in a push by French President Emmanuel Macron to reinvigorate the country’s peace process after seven years of bloody internal conflict.

— jared malsin, WSJ, "Warring Libyan Factions Set Path to Elections," 29 May 2018

First Known Use of war

13th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

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war

adverb or adjective \ ˈwär \

Definition of war

chiefly Scotland

: worse

Origin and Etymology of war

Middle English werre, from Old Norse verri, adjective, verr, adverb; akin to Old English wiersa worse — more at worse

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

war

verb \ ˈwär \

Definition of war

warred; warring

transitive verb

Scotland

: worst, overcome

First Known Use of war

15th century

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

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WAR Defined for English Language Learners

war

noun

Definition of war for English Language Learners

: a state or period of fighting between countries or groups
: a situation in which people or groups compete with or fight against each other
: an organized effort by a government or other large organization to stop or defeat something that is viewed as dangerous or bad