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
Strikes in the region have continued in recent days despite the White House's assertion to lawmakers that hostilities have ended.
—
Carlie Procell, USA Today, 4 June 2026
The two sides had agreed last month to a ceasefire, but hostilities had continued.
—Reuters, NBC news, 4 June 2026
The Russian army is no longer able to grind out incremental capture of Ukrainian territory, and one million of its soldiers are thought to have been killed or wounded since hostilities began.
—Elliott Goat, TheWeek, 3 June 2026
Strike on village kills most of a family Many residents of southern Lebanon remained in villages near the hostilities or returned to areas where strikes occurred after evacuation warnings.
—Kareem Chehayeb, Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2026
Tuesday night’s hostilities appear to have begun when the US used a Hellfire missile to strike an oil tanker heading for an Iranian port.
—Alexandra Banner, CNN Money, 3 June 2026
The administration, however, has indicated that because a ceasefire has been declared in the current conflict in Iran, the hostilities have ceased.
—Arkansas Online, 3 June 2026
Progress towards a deal has see-sawed since the two parties agreed to a cease-fire on April 8, with both sides continuing to trade low-level hostilities and level new threats.
—Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 28 May 2026
Leaders everywhere were fearful of military action but still prepared for conflict in ways that almost guaranteed that, if hostilities were to break out in Europe, the Great Powers would get involved.
—Literary Hub, 27 May 2026
Carlie Procell, USA Today, 4 June 2026
The two sides had agreed last month to a ceasefire, but hostilities had continued.
—Reuters, NBC news, 4 June 2026
The Russian army is no longer able to grind out incremental capture of Ukrainian territory, and one million of its soldiers are thought to have been killed or wounded since hostilities began.
—Elliott Goat, TheWeek, 3 June 2026
Strike on village kills most of a family Many residents of southern Lebanon remained in villages near the hostilities or returned to areas where strikes occurred after evacuation warnings.
—Kareem Chehayeb, Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2026
Tuesday night’s hostilities appear to have begun when the US used a Hellfire missile to strike an oil tanker heading for an Iranian port.
—Alexandra Banner, CNN Money, 3 June 2026
The administration, however, has indicated that because a ceasefire has been declared in the current conflict in Iran, the hostilities have ceased.
—Arkansas Online, 3 June 2026
Progress towards a deal has see-sawed since the two parties agreed to a cease-fire on April 8, with both sides continuing to trade low-level hostilities and level new threats.
—Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 28 May 2026
Leaders everywhere were fearful of military action but still prepared for conflict in ways that almost guaranteed that, if hostilities were to break out in Europe, the Great Powers would get involved.
—Literary Hub, 27 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hostilities
Noun
-
Meanwhile, Trump’s decision to go to war with Iran has roiled the global energy markets and sent the cost of gas and jet fuel soaring.—
Kyle Feldscher,
CNN Money,
11 June 2026
-
Profits at Abu Dhabi’s ADNOC Gas fell 15% as the war cut its sales volumes, and Industries Qatar saw a drop of nearly 26% as the conflict disrupted its petrochemicals operations and shipments.—
Manal Albarakati,
semafor.com,
10 June 2026
Noun
-
The dreamlike, disturbing stories in this collection by Egyptian writer Makhzangi take place in settings ranging from Egypt toa India to Vietnam to Iraq, often at moments of violent conflict.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
9 June 2026
-
Process automation and technology (PA & T) remains a second-half-of-the-year story due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, impacting shipments and delaying upgrades.—
Jeff Marks,
CNBC,
8 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hostilities.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hostilities. Accessed 12 Jun. 2026.
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