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
In the civil war Congress nixed those for the nickel, because nickel was cheaper.
—
Brian Domitrovic, Forbes.com, 26 May 2025
At a press conference for the film, Aster was asked if all that was left for the United States was a decent into civil war.
—Thomas Page, CNN Money, 24 May 2025
Her portfolio will be one of the most important as the country begins rebuilding after nearly 14 years of civil war.
—Arkansas Online, 1 June 2025
The civil war that began in 2011 also displaced half the country’s pre-war population of 23 million people.
—Ghaith Alsayed, Christian Science Monitor, 30 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for civil war
Brian Domitrovic, Forbes.com, 26 May 2025
At a press conference for the film, Aster was asked if all that was left for the United States was a decent into civil war.
—Thomas Page, CNN Money, 24 May 2025
Her portfolio will be one of the most important as the country begins rebuilding after nearly 14 years of civil war.
—Arkansas Online, 1 June 2025
The civil war that began in 2011 also displaced half the country’s pre-war population of 23 million people.
—Ghaith Alsayed, Christian Science Monitor, 30 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for civil war
Recent Examples of Synonyms for civil war
Noun
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That drastically changed after Armenia suffered a disastrous defeat in the 2020 war.—
Paul Iddon,
Forbes.com,
8 June 2025
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Federal and state law enforcement agencies and the Department of Homeland Security have repeatedly issued bulletins, warning the country is vulnerable to terrorism, especially at large events, as a result of the Gaza war.—
Bill Hutchinson,
ABC News,
8 June 2025
Noun
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Orson Welles’s 1955 cold war thriller Mr. Arkadin is the key to Wes Anderson’s psychological puzzle The Phoenician Scheme.—
Armond White,
National Review,
30 May 2025
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The outcome of the Geneva talks was a temporary de-escalation of a wide-ranging cold war that is in fact much bigger than trade.—
John Feng,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 May 2025
Noun
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The aftermath of two world wars shattered many of the old certainties.—
Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic,
Forbes.com,
29 May 2025
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It was deployed during the War of 1812 and both world wars.—
Niall Stanage,
The Hill,
17 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Bloody conflicts continued to occur throughout the 20th century.—
Kevin Giraud,
Variety,
7 June 2025
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Killer of Killers follows three warriors from different periods in history set against different Predator variants, using the tools of their time to take them on before a larger-scale conflict that will merge all the stories.—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
7 June 2025
Noun
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Many Russians will come to believe that Russia is fighting a holy war against the West and NATO, and that Western sanctions are designed to make ordinary Russians suffer.—
Maxim Mironov,
Foreign Affairs,
11 Mar. 2022
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In 1992, the government pressured Muslim clerics to declare a holy war against Nuba who opposed the regime.—
Nicolas Niarchos,
New Yorker,
19 May 2025
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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And as always, there’s no guarantee that a limited war would stay limited.—
Joshua Keating,
Vox,
7 Dec. 2018
Cite this Entry
“Civil war.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/civil%20war. Accessed 18 Jun. 2025.
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