as in hostilities
a state of armed violent struggle between states, nations, or groups
fortunately, the cool relationship between the two nations never escalated into a hot war
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Recent Examples of hot wars
There are hot wars in Ukraine and Gaza, cold wars on the Korean peninsula and in the Taiwan Strait, and budding wars in Iran and parts of Africa.
—
Los Angeles Times, 10 Feb. 2026
Los Angeles Times, 10 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hot wars
Noun
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Though active hostilities have paused for the moment, the conflict has already exacted a tragic toll on combatants and civilians alike, threatened global stability and underscored in stark relief the grim reality of war.—
William E. Lori,
New York Daily News,
26 Apr. 2026
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German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said Saturday his country is sending minesweeper ships to the Mediterranean to help remove Iranian mines from the strait once hostilities end.—
Munir Ahmed,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Now the edge is getting pushed yet again, as the culture transitions from the memeification of one man’s death to delighting in the real-time memes of wars.—
Brady Brickner-Wood,
New Yorker,
29 Apr. 2026
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Plenty of others haven’t engaged with the book at all, instead using its premise — and ironically, Hathaway’s role as a female producer on the film — as fodder for the ever-raging American culture wars.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Since one of the metaphorical aspects of the script concerns how swiftly conflicts can flare up from small disagreements into major knock-down-drag-out fights, showing the violence and bared-teeth snarling is appropriate, a lighter touch could work, too.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
28 Apr. 2026
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Determined to rise to the occasion and work out every possible kink, Daisy sets out to resolve conflicts between the stews and in the galley.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
28 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hot wars.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hot%20wars. Accessed 29 Apr. 2026.
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