as in war
a a state or period of fighting between groups of people in the same country
a region that has had many civil wars
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Recent Examples of civil war
Hezbollah, along with Iran, intervened on the side of Assad during Syria’s 14-year civil war, while al-Sharaa was the leader of an insurgent group seeking to overthrow him.
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ABC News,
28 June 2026
The agreement does not include Hezbollah and prompted one of the group’s officials in Lebanon to warn of civil war.
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Ben Finley,
Chicago Tribune,
27 June 2026
The agreement does not include Hezbollah and prompted one of the group's officials in Lebanon to warn of civil war.
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Arkansas Online,
27 June 2026
Violent political unrest in Burma following the military takeover in 2021 — which has led into a civil war between the military government and its pro-democracy opponents, as well as ethnic armed groups — has caused an increase in drug production, experts told the AP.
—
Greg Norman-Diamond,
FOXNews.com,
26 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for civil war
ABC News,
28 June 2026
The agreement does not include Hezbollah and prompted one of the group’s officials in Lebanon to warn of civil war.
—
Ben Finley,
Chicago Tribune,
27 June 2026
The agreement does not include Hezbollah and prompted one of the group's officials in Lebanon to warn of civil war.
—
Arkansas Online,
27 June 2026
Violent political unrest in Burma following the military takeover in 2021 — which has led into a civil war between the military government and its pro-democracy opponents, as well as ethnic armed groups — has caused an increase in drug production, experts told the AP.
—
Greg Norman-Diamond,
FOXNews.com,
26 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for civil war
Recent Examples of Synonyms for civil war
Noun
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Alnaji was part of a pro-Palestinian group protesting over the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza and Kessler was demonstrating in support of Israel, authorities have said.
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The war period saw its own moments of threats to rights, such as suspending habeas corpus, the legal mechanism to prevent arbitrary detention.
Noun
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The report, based on in-depth interviews with single-family office principals and CIOs across North America, Europe, Asia and Latin America, captures a generational cold war playing out inside the world’s most secretive financial institutions.
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Ahead of season 3, EW has launched three motion covers, each one starring a contender for the crown — as the show's cold war escalates into literal dragon fire.
Noun
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Louis' boxing matches with Schmeling were viewed as pivotal international events in the context of the brewing world war with Nazi Germany.
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Horkheimer, amid the wreckage of world war, lost faith in progress; his dialectic negated one construct after another.
Noun
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China has helped cushion the global oil shock, seen its clean energy tech exports surge and framed the war in Iran as another example in which Chinese leadership could supersede the US in ending global conflicts.
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The characters are all in a continual state of collision, their shifting conflicts inflamed by Coriolanus’ arrogantly uncompromising nature.
Noun
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Commentary and opinions Bass clears the first hurdle, but if Pratt holds off Raman, the mayoral race could be a holy war, writes columnist Steve Lopez.
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By the conclusion of the second film, Paul had aligned with the native Fremen people of Arrakis to successfully defeat House Harkonnen and began a holy war against the Empire.
Noun
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In contrast, China has made targeted investments intended to give it an advantage in a quick, limited war, while keeping its overall defense spending relatively modest: Beijing’s defense spending has risen from five percent of U.S. levels in 1995 to 32 percent in 2017.
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Israel and Hezbollah have engaged in a limited war since last October, but Israeli forces have significantly escalated the scope of their attacks since the beginning of September in an attempt to force Hezbollah to stop its attacks on northern Israel.
Cite this Entry
“Civil war.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/civil%20war. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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