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civil war

noun

Definition of civil warnext
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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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of civil war At the time, Tiafoe was the most talented 10-year-old there, the son of the head maintenance guy, Constant Tiafoe, who had fled civil war in Sierra Leone with his wife. — Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026 Islamophobia helped spur the rise of populist right-wing parties in Europe, alongside the migration crisis caused by Syria’s civil war and ISIS’s territorial gains in Syria and Iraq. — Daniel Benjamin, Foreign Affairs, 11 Sep. 2026 Observers and Yemeni residents fear the escalating fighting could renew an all-out civil war in Yemen. — Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 11 Sep. 2026 The escalating fighting threatens to end a fragile truce that had largely halted Yemen’s civil war since 2022. — Fatma Khaled, Los Angeles Times, 11 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for civil war
Recent Examples of Synonyms for civil war
  1. war
  2. cold war
  3. world war
  4. conflict
  5. holy war
  6. limited war
Noun
  • This could give Iran additional leverage in its war with the United States.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 15 Sep. 2026
  • On behalf of her contact at the Russian embassy, the defendant sought information on German defense policy and the defense industry, particularly in light of Russia's war on Ukraine.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of war
Noun
  • During Wallace and Shakur’s own rift, Knight and Combs’ own cold war simmered and ran even hotter than many initially believed.
    — Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 2 Sep. 2026
  • 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.
    — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 1 June 2026
Definition of cold war
Noun
  • Born in 1946, in a country recovering from a civil war and a world war, Rodríguez entered a life marked by poverty in the southern Spanish village of Añora.
    — Laura Sharman, CNN Money, 22 Aug. 2026
  • But for the most part, today’s athletes weren’t shaped by the Great Depression and a world war.
    — Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of world war
Noun
  • Doubt and conflict flows through not just her searching eyes but also, in this case, a shrinking, defensive posture.
    — Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Mountains made tall by millions of years of violent, tectonic conflict.
    — Supriya Lopez Pillai, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of conflict
Noun
  • Yet, somehow, the labels jihad, holy war and suicide martyrs are still thrown around.
    — Reshma Memon Yaqub, Rolling Stone, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Even a local Catholic priest launched a holy war against the school over its new athletic facility.
    — Matthew Sedacca, Curbed, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of holy war
Noun
  • In this scenario, which may already be coming to fruition, the meager hope is that the conflict transforms into simply a more limited war.
    — Daniel Byman, Foreign Affairs, 5 Apr. 2024
  • Many scholars panned the book, believing its 34-year-old author had overestimated the nation’s ability to keep limited war limited.
    — David E. Sanger, New York Times, 30 Nov. 2023
Definition of limited war

Browse Nearby Words

civil unions
civil war
civil wars
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Cite this Entry

“Civil war.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/civil%20war. Accessed 19 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on civil war

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about civil war

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