cold war

noun

Definition of cold warnext
as in world war

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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 cold war Xi Jinping is angling to win a cold war with the United States. — ABC News, 12 May 2026 Per a source, that cold war continued through the offseason. — Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 7 Apr. 2026 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 The theory posited that wars in the post-cold war era would be fought along religious divides, bringing the West and the Islamic states such as Iran to clash. — Debidatta A. Mahapatra, The Orlando Sentinel, 7 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for cold war
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cold war
  1. world war
  2. civil war
  3. holy war
  4. limited war
Noun
  • Born in 1946, in a country recovering from a civil war and a world war, Rodríguez entered a life marked by poverty in the southern Spanish village of Añora.
    — Laura Sharman, CNN Money, 22 Aug. 2026
  • But for the most part, today’s athletes weren’t shaped by the Great Depression and a world war.
    — Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of world war
Noun
  • The escalation shattered a four-year truce that had largely halted the fighting in the civil war.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Getting back to politics to wrap up here, there seems to be a civil war brewing in the Democratic Party between the DSA crowd and the more traditional wing of the party.
    — Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of civil war
Noun
  • Even a local Catholic priest launched a holy war against the school over its new athletic facility.
    — Matthew Sedacca, Curbed, 17 Aug. 2026
  • Commentary and opinions Bass clears the first hurdle, but if Pratt holds off Raman, the mayoral race could be a holy war, writes columnist Steve Lopez.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 4 June 2026
Definition of holy war
Noun
  • In this scenario, which may already be coming to fruition, the meager hope is that the conflict transforms into simply a more limited war.
    — Daniel Byman, Foreign Affairs, 5 Apr. 2024
  • Many scholars panned the book, believing its 34-year-old author had overestimated the nation’s ability to keep limited war limited.
    — David E. Sanger, New York Times, 30 Nov. 2023
Definition of limited war

Browse Nearby Words

cold turkey
cold war
cold wars
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Cite this Entry

“Cold war.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cold%20war. Accessed 12 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on cold war

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about cold war

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