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 this became a civil war between millionaire golfers with some moral backbone and tens-of-millionaires without any.
—
Dave Hyde, Sun Sentinel, 30 Apr. 2026
The 2021 army takeover triggered massive public resistance that was brutally suppressed, triggering a bloody civil war that has killed thousands of people.
—ABC News, 30 Apr. 2026
The food crisis in Sudan, where there has been an ongoing civil war for years, is extreme.
—Bart Jansen, USA Today, 30 Apr. 2026
Those differences have been sharply felt in Yemen, Saudi Arabia’s impoverished southern neighbor wracked by a complex civil war since 2014.
—Raf Sanchez, NBC news, 29 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for civil war
Dave Hyde, Sun Sentinel, 30 Apr. 2026
The 2021 army takeover triggered massive public resistance that was brutally suppressed, triggering a bloody civil war that has killed thousands of people.
—ABC News, 30 Apr. 2026
The food crisis in Sudan, where there has been an ongoing civil war for years, is extreme.
—Bart Jansen, USA Today, 30 Apr. 2026
Those differences have been sharply felt in Yemen, Saudi Arabia’s impoverished southern neighbor wracked by a complex civil war since 2014.
—Raf Sanchez, NBC news, 29 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for civil war
Recent Examples of Synonyms for civil war
Noun
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Khanna said the war will increase costs by $5,000 for American households.—
Christopher Cann,
USA Today,
30 Apr. 2026
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Hegseth also had contentious exchanges about the war in Iran, trading broadsides with Democratic lawmakers over the strategic direction of the war and costs to Americans at home and abroad.—
Washington Post,
Washington Post,
29 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Per a source, that cold war continued through the offseason.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Apr. 2026
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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
Noun
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Minghella and a stellar cast never lose the tenderness amidst the epic sweep of a world war.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
14 Apr. 2026
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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
Noun
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But, though the guns of war were a decade in the past, the nation had not escaped the spectre of conflict.—
Jelani Cobb,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
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Under previous administrations, including President Barack Obama’s, immigration laws were enforced without this kind of performative conflict.—
Linh Tat,
Oc Register,
4 May 2026
Noun
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By the conclusion of the second film, Paul had aligned with the native Fremen people of Arrakis to successfully defeat House Harkonnen and began a holy war against the Empire.—
Brian Welk,
IndieWire,
14 Apr. 2026
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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
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 7 May. 2026.
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