world war
noun
: a war engaged in by all or most of the principal nations of the world
especially,
World War
: either of two such wars of the first half of the 20th century
Examples of world war in a Sentence
He fought in both World Wars.
The nations were prepared for world war.
Recent Examples on the Web
His nearly century-long life witnessed world wars, social upheaval and political transformation across multiple continents — providing rich dramatic territory for a film with international appeal.
—
Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 13 Oct. 2025
The American Revolution was a world war fought in the age of sail.
—Sarah Botstein, The Atlantic, 8 Oct. 2025
Jeff Bridges reprises his series role as Kevin Flynn, the guy who created this alter-tech world war.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 8 Oct. 2025
As pundit Mehdi Hasan had reminded us moments earlier, studies show that more Palestinian journalists have been killed during this conflict than in Vietnam, Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, and both world wars combined.
—Shaad D’souza, Pitchfork, 18 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for world war
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.
Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 13 Oct. 2025
The American Revolution was a world war fought in the age of sail.
—Sarah Botstein, The Atlantic, 8 Oct. 2025
Jeff Bridges reprises his series role as Kevin Flynn, the guy who created this alter-tech world war.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 8 Oct. 2025
As pundit Mehdi Hasan had reminded us moments earlier, studies show that more Palestinian journalists have been killed during this conflict than in Vietnam, Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, and both world wars combined.
—Shaad D’souza, Pitchfork, 18 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for world war
Cite this Entry
“World war.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/world%20war. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share