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
Syria policy and sanctions questions The report also examines Turkey’s role in Syria, where the country backed opposition forces during the civil war, supporting a range of armed factions, including groups that later formed the Syrian National Army.
—
Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 1 Apr. 2026
Kidnapping had occurred before the civil war, but the scale and nature of it changed dramatically after 2014, when Yemen when Yemen in effect fractured under rival governments.
—Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 30 Mar. 2026
Hezbollah was founded in 1982 during Lebanon's civil war and initially was devoted to ending Israel's occupation of southern Lebanon.
—CBS News, 30 Mar. 2026
Yemen was in the middle of a civil war, and gun battles in the city were not unusual.
—Ryan Lucas, NPR, 30 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for civil war
Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 1 Apr. 2026
Kidnapping had occurred before the civil war, but the scale and nature of it changed dramatically after 2014, when Yemen when Yemen in effect fractured under rival governments.
—Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 30 Mar. 2026
Hezbollah was founded in 1982 during Lebanon's civil war and initially was devoted to ending Israel's occupation of southern Lebanon.
—CBS News, 30 Mar. 2026
Yemen was in the middle of a civil war, and gun battles in the city were not unusual.
—Ryan Lucas, NPR, 30 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for civil war
Recent Examples of Synonyms for civil war
Noun
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But now many of those same factions are expressing open revulsion at the Iran war, rupturing relationships that were supposed to usher in a new international order.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
9 Apr. 2026
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The war on inflation could be in for a major setback due to the Iran war.—
Aimee Picchi,
CBS News,
9 Apr. 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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But those expectations have since been upended as the Iran conflict has sent shockwaves through the global economy that are unlikely to unravel anytime soon, even if the war is brought to a rapid resolution.—
Joseph Wilkins,
CNBC,
7 Apr. 2026
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The laws of armed conflict allow attacks on civilian infrastructure only if the military advantage outweighs the civilian harm, legal scholars say.—
Compiled byDemocrat-Gazette stafffrom wire reports,
Arkansas Online,
6 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Some of these invocations align with Hegseth’s recurring references to the Crusades in the Middle Ages – a centuries-long holy war between Christians and Muslims.—
Samuel Perry,
The Conversation,
6 Apr. 2026
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This approach had a lasting impact, and even centuries after the mainline Crusades to the Holy Land ended, the pope continued to invoke the concept of holy war to justify resistance against the Ottoman Empire and other Muslim entities.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
3 Apr. 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 11 Apr. 2026.
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