civil wars

plural of civil war

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 wars Annour and his family were once part of that wave, fleeing their home in Sudan in 2003, stepping around dead bodies and witnessing unimaginable horror, to escape one in a series of continuing civil wars that have given way to genocide. — Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026 The Tokugawa shogunate had brought a period of civil wars to an end, and during the long, uninterrupted peace under its iron rule there were fewer opportunities for men who had been trained to fight. — Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026 And America’s civil wars in countries like Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Mexico, and El Salvador. — Daniel Peña, Literary Hub, 7 Oct. 2026 At their height, jihadi groups proved capable of spectacular violence, forming alliances amid civil wars and even seizing territory. — Daniel Byman, Foreign Affairs, 8 Sep. 2026 The United States’ contribution to ending Europe’s two civil wars fostered American confidence and, by the mid-Forties, declarations of an American century. — Cynthia Zarin, Harpers Magazine, 28 July 2026 Inside many of Miami’s multiplying condos, civil wars are raging between residents who live there and absentee owners who buy units for investment income. — Linda Robertson, Miami Herald, 16 July 2026 Syria, Libya, and Yemen have already endured civil wars and protracted humanitarian crises. — Sarah Yerkes, Time, 10 July 2026 So, the civil wars of the 1640s. — Sean Woods, Rolling Stone, 25 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for civil wars
Noun
  • And around the world, wars and religious persecution have destroyed prayer books, Bibles, Qurans, Torah scrolls, statues, iconography, shrines, relics and many other materials considered venerable.
    — Angie Leventis Lourgos, Chicago Tribune, 1 Nov. 2026
  • Maryland is hardly an innocent bystander in America’s gerrymandering wars.
    — Bobby Zirkin, Baltimore Sun, 1 Nov. 2026
Noun
  • The Navy has used the cessation of hostilities to restock ships with munitions and supplies, completing a significant replenishment of weapons for the USS George Washington last week.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 29 Oct. 2026
  • That action comes as part of a broader regional war in the Middle East that began when the United States and Israel attacked Iran in February 2026—and Iran has drawn up plans to potentially attack undersea cables if hostilities ramp up once again.
    — Jeremy Hsu, ArsTechnica, 28 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • The war has cast a shadow on Persian Gulf nations that have long presented themselves as paragons of stability in a volatile region, mostly unaffected by the conflicts raging in the wider Middle East.
    — Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2026
  • There are other long shots Trump could attempt, such as trying to end intractable conflicts in Kashmir or Sudan, to forge a reputation as a peacemaker.
    — Daniel W. Drezner, Foreign Affairs, 4 Nov. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Civil wars.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/civil%20wars. Accessed 8 Nov. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!