1
as in hostilities
a state of armed violent struggle between states, nations, or groups
the war was the result of ethnic tensions that had been building in the region for decades
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in conflict
a lack of agreement or harmony
the siblings always seemed to be at war with one another
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in battle
an earnest effort for superiority or victory over another
only the latest round in the never-ending class war
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to fight
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of war
Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 26 Mar. 2026
Amid the threat of war, Iran has spent recent months rebuilding missile production facilities while further concealing its nuclear program.
—Alexandra Banner, CNN Money, 20 Feb. 2026
David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 11 Jan. 2026
If the country had sustained a center and not fallen into warring camps, here is what would have happened in the last year.
—Joe Soucheray, Twin Cities, 10 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for war
Noun
The war has continued escalating since, with Israel Defense Forces troops entering southern Lebanon at the beginning of a ground invasion, an operation that looks certain to expand.
—Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 26 Mar. 2026
Amid the threat of war, Iran has spent recent months rebuilding missile production facilities while further concealing its nuclear program.
—Alexandra Banner, CNN Money, 20 Feb. 2026
Verb
It’s expected to commence once details about Gaza’s governance are hashed out by the warring sides and third-party mediators.
—David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 11 Jan. 2026
If the country had sustained a center and not fallen into warring camps, here is what would have happened in the last year.
—Joe Soucheray, Twin Cities, 10 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for war
Recent Examples of Synonyms for war
Noun
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After all, a bit more than a decade later, hostilities would explode anew in the Arab-Israeli War of 1967, during which Nasser shut the canal again.—
Ishaan Tharoor,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
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The exception, of course, is the oil companies that get a free ride off the hostilities.—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
29 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Earlier Monday, Turkey's defense ministry announced that the alliance's air defenses deployed in the eastern Mediterranean had, for a fourth time during the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, intercepted an Iranian missile that had entered its airspace.—
Lucia I Suarez Sang,
CBS News,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Neither has served in an active military capacity during the current conflict.—
Adeola Adeosun,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
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At the time of the initial gun battle, the MacEgans were on an afternoon walk through a nearby field.—
Rosalio Ahumada,
Sacbee.com,
26 Mar. 2026
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So California may be readying to wage a two-front battle — the familiar one against smog, but a second, altogether new one, against an administration determined to let California get smoggy again.—
Patt Morrison,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The underlying facts of the case are still to be ruled on, but the partial ruling on Friday was a big win for immigration advocates who had been fighting to shut down the controversial site.—
Claire Heddles,
Miami Herald,
28 Mar. 2026
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There have been dueling proposals ever since, with some fighting to keep the Bears in Chicago proper, others fighting to help the stadium get built in Arlington Heights, and recently Northwest Indiana jumping into the fray, proposing sites for a new Bears stadium in Gary and Hammond.—
Marissa Perlman,
CBS News,
27 Mar. 2026
Noun
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In providing that space for both music and wellness, sound healing brings audiences into a collective world for escape from both the external strife of the world and their own messy interiority.—
Britt Julious,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Mar. 2026
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This has actually caused a lot of internal strife within the community.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
29 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Their rivalry reached its peak in 2018, when the two engaged in an on-court brawl during a matchup between the Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
29 Mar. 2026
-
Their relationship starts as pure rivalry, shifts into a friends-with-benefits arrangement and eventually evolves into a full romantic relationship across the six-episode first season.—
Hanna Wickes,
Charlotte Observer,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Others contend that legitimizing him erodes Democratic credibility on antisemitism and other issues, handing Republicans ammunition heading into the midterms.—
Jesus Mesa,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
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But the president contends there is no excuse for the lack of participation now that Iran's navy has been sunk and its air defenses severely weakened.—
Michael Loria,
USA Today,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Seizing the island would deal a major blow to Tehran's economy, undercutting one of its most critical revenue streams and decapitating its key means of waging economic warfare.—
Chris Boccia,
ABC News,
27 Mar. 2026
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That means waging cognitive warfare on a scale no one else has tried before.—
Anne Applebaum,
The Atlantic,
27 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“War.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/war. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
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