as in war
a state of armed violent struggle between states, nations, or groups
Both sides agreed to cease all hostilities.
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Recent Examples of hostilities
What Happens Next The current lull in hostilities may be more strategic than permanent, offering a brief window for both sides to reassess and recalibrate.
—
Amir Daftari, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Nov. 2025
One can be sure that the utility of having hostilities with Venezuela for this case is not lost on the administration.
—David Smilde, Time, 3 Nov. 2025
Trump will use the lull in hostilities to build a secure rare earths supply chain.
—Andy Browne, semafor.com, 30 Oct. 2025
In 2018 and 2019, the two exchanged fire in rounds of hostilities that would frequently end within 48 hours.
—Oren Liebermann, CNN Money, 29 Oct. 2025
Their guerrilla tactics were effective, and in 1533 the Spanish signed a treaty with their chief leader, Enriquillo, that ended hostilities in exchange for land and freedom.
—Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2025
In an escalation of hostilities against Venezuela, the Department of Defense has recently moved some ten thousand troops into the region, mostly to former military bases in Puerto Rico.
—Jonathan Blitzer, New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2025
The alliance should also increase its training with an eye toward degrading or destroying the Kaliningrad facilities should direct hostilities break out.
—James Stavridis, Twin Cities, 13 Oct. 2025
But Putin had other ideas, tying a halt in hostilities to the West readmitting certain Russian banks into the West’s financial network.
—Daniel Depetris, Chicago Tribune, 8 Apr. 2025
Amir Daftari, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Nov. 2025
One can be sure that the utility of having hostilities with Venezuela for this case is not lost on the administration.
—David Smilde, Time, 3 Nov. 2025
Trump will use the lull in hostilities to build a secure rare earths supply chain.
—Andy Browne, semafor.com, 30 Oct. 2025
In 2018 and 2019, the two exchanged fire in rounds of hostilities that would frequently end within 48 hours.
—Oren Liebermann, CNN Money, 29 Oct. 2025
Their guerrilla tactics were effective, and in 1533 the Spanish signed a treaty with their chief leader, Enriquillo, that ended hostilities in exchange for land and freedom.
—Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2025
In an escalation of hostilities against Venezuela, the Department of Defense has recently moved some ten thousand troops into the region, mostly to former military bases in Puerto Rico.
—Jonathan Blitzer, New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2025
The alliance should also increase its training with an eye toward degrading or destroying the Kaliningrad facilities should direct hostilities break out.
—James Stavridis, Twin Cities, 13 Oct. 2025
But Putin had other ideas, tying a halt in hostilities to the West readmitting certain Russian banks into the West’s financial network.
—Daniel Depetris, Chicago Tribune, 8 Apr. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hostilities
Noun
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Just a few months ago, McKenna was weighing the two schools against each other, the Spartans finishing as runners-up in his historic recruiting war.—
Scott Wheeler,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
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From the very first days of the First World War, the German Empire was looking for someone capable of sparking a revolution in Russia and forcing the country to withdraw from the war with Germany — so that the Germans could focus their forces on fighting the British and the French.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
8 Nov. 2025
Noun
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As is often the case when Arsenal and Chelsea meet, this match had the potential to be one of those gloriously uninhibited conflicts.—
Megan Feringa,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
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As for South Sudan, a senior United Nations official said earlier this week that the ongoing conflict in Sudan is causing destabilization in South Sudan, including armed clashes and food insecurity.—
Dan Gooding,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hostilities.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hostilities. Accessed 21 Nov. 2025.
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