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
Much of the cash, stuffed inside suitcases and shipped out on international flights, makes its way to countries scattered across East Africa, where many Somalis fanned out following their nation’s civil war.
—
Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 28 Mar. 2026
Finally, after a 13-year hiatus due to the Libyan civil war, archaeologists from the University of Warsaw returned in 2023 to explore the remains of one of the largest ancient Greek cities in the Cyrenaica region.
—Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 28 Mar. 2026
Flea’s new release is a temple of American culture, tackling the timely subjects of civil war, peace and love, and doing so in its own meditative time and space.
—Lars Brandle, Billboard, 27 Mar. 2026
After Lebanon's 1975-90 civil war ended, Hezbollah was the only group to be allowed to keep its weapons as it was considered a resistance movement fighting Israel that was occupying parts of southern Lebanon.
—Arkansas Online, 26 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for civil war
Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 28 Mar. 2026
Finally, after a 13-year hiatus due to the Libyan civil war, archaeologists from the University of Warsaw returned in 2023 to explore the remains of one of the largest ancient Greek cities in the Cyrenaica region.
—Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 28 Mar. 2026
Flea’s new release is a temple of American culture, tackling the timely subjects of civil war, peace and love, and doing so in its own meditative time and space.
—Lars Brandle, Billboard, 27 Mar. 2026
After Lebanon's 1975-90 civil war ended, Hezbollah was the only group to be allowed to keep its weapons as it was considered a resistance movement fighting Israel that was occupying parts of southern Lebanon.
—Arkansas Online, 26 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for civil war
Recent Examples of Synonyms for civil war
Noun
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Thousands have been killed since the war began in late February, including about 1,500 people in Iran and over 1,000 in Lebanon, where Israel is moving to occupy territory.—
Christopher Cann,
USA Today,
26 Mar. 2026
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The decision is the latest step taken by Lebanon's government against Iran after the most recent Israel-Hezbollah war broke out on March 2, during which Israel's military killed several members of Iran's Revolutionary Guard in strikes around the long-suffering country.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
26 Mar. 2026
Noun
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And that means that if the hot war ends, but Iran ends up in another cold war, that would be as fatal to the regime as the continuation of the hot war.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
25 Mar. 2026
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Political post-mortem after post-mortem has deepened a cold war between progressives and moderates, fueling ongoing debates over President Joe Biden’s handling of the Gaza war, inflation, and the cost of living.—
Jake Angelo,
Fortune,
9 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Fears that attacks on Iran could trigger a more widespread world war were unfounded.—
Boston Herald editorial staff,
Boston Herald,
5 Mar. 2026
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Our local representatives continue to support the head of their party as the world rushes toward another world war.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
4 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
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Neither has served in an active military capacity during the current conflict.—
Adeola Adeosun,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Get ready for a 17-year time jump, as Timothée Chalamet's older, more jaded Paul Atreides continues to wrestle with holy war, his messianic status, and the fallout from opting to marry Princess Irulan (Florence Pugh) rather than his Fremen girlfriend Chani (Zendaya).—
Richard Edwards,
Space.com,
17 Mar. 2026
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Huffman is eager to find out more about claims that the military is promoting its operation in Iran as a holy war.—
Alexei Koseff,
San Francisco Chronicle,
16 Mar. 2026
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.—
Oriana Skylar Mastro,
Foreign Affairs,
20 May 2025
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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.—
Mike Brest,
Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government,
30 Sep. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Civil war.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/civil%20war. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
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