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
But three years later, Libya descended into a three-way civil war and today remains a failed state.
—
Alexander Smith, NBC news, 18 June 2025
The Republican civil war, as some have put it, began in January over immigration enforcement and continues to this day over Hope Florida, a program and charity spearheaded by the first lady intended to get low-income people off government aid.
—Alexandra Glorioso, Miami Herald, 17 June 2025
Ricks fled as a child from the civil war in Liberia with her family and resettled in Aurora.
—Shelly Bradbury, Denver Post, 17 June 2025
Other high-profile attacks in recent years have included a 2022 hammer attack on the husband of then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi inside their San Francisco home, and a 2020 plot by anti-government extremists to kidnap Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer at her vacation home and start a civil war.
—Tim Sullivan, Los Angeles Times, 14 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for civil war
Alexander Smith, NBC news, 18 June 2025
The Republican civil war, as some have put it, began in January over immigration enforcement and continues to this day over Hope Florida, a program and charity spearheaded by the first lady intended to get low-income people off government aid.
—Alexandra Glorioso, Miami Herald, 17 June 2025
Ricks fled as a child from the civil war in Liberia with her family and resettled in Aurora.
—Shelly Bradbury, Denver Post, 17 June 2025
Other high-profile attacks in recent years have included a 2022 hammer attack on the husband of then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi inside their San Francisco home, and a 2020 plot by anti-government extremists to kidnap Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer at her vacation home and start a civil war.
—Tim Sullivan, Los Angeles Times, 14 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for civil war
Recent Examples of Synonyms for civil war
Noun
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Culiacan, which has around 1 million residents and is the capital of western Mexico's Sinaloa state, has been wrought by a war for control between two rival drug trafficking groups of the Sinaloa cartel – Los Chapitos and La Mayiza.—
Sophia Compton,
FOXNews.com,
1 July 2025
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Iran Offer The flare-up between India and Pakistan has been overshadowed globally by the war between Israel and Iran, with the United States also joining strikes against Tehran's nuclear program.—
Jennifer Cunningham,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 July 2025
Noun
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In addition, there are at least two notable cold wars, between the U.S. and China, and between the U.S. and Iran.—
John Dorfman,
Forbes.com,
2 June 2025
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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
Noun
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In both world wars, the key to victory was unbeatable stamina.—
Lawrence D. Freedman,
Foreign Affairs,
14 Apr. 2025
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Five years was serious business, the length of world wars and Soviet economic plans.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 June 2025
Noun
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During the recent conflict, the Israeli Air Force demonstrated an impressive capability to reach targets deep inside Iran while relying on its aged Boeing 707 tankers for refueling its fighter jets.—
Paul Iddon,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2025
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Despite the flare-up, Wedbush technology analyst Dan Ives expects the conflict between Musk and Mr. Trump to die down moving forward.—
Anne Marie D. Lee,
CBS News,
1 July 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 8 Jul. 2025.
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