hot wars

noun

plural of hot war
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hot wars
  1. hostilities
  2. wars
  3. conflicts
Noun
  • Renewed hostilities in the Persian Gulf also complicate the resumption of refining in the Middle East.
    — David Goldman, CNN Money, 14 July 2026
  • Under the War Powers Resolution of 1973, a post-Vietnam War law, the president must notify Congress within 48 hours of the start of military hostilities.
    — Caitlin Yilek, CBS News, 13 July 2026
Definition of hostilities
Noun
  • During a recent concert where Graham Nash was speaking his mind about needless wars and his belief that the president started a war with Iran to distract from the Epstein files, someone in the audience yelled out.
    — Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 13 July 2026
  • But after two wars in nine months, there was a sense of tired resignation when news of the airstrikes hit Tehran Wednesday.
    — Frederik Pleitgen, CNN Money, 11 July 2026
Definition of wars
Noun
  • Biden’s term was defined by a wide range of conflicts and achievements, from his handling of wars in Ukraine and the Middle East to the passage of ambitious infrastructure and economic aid bills.
    — Hillel Italie, Fortune, 15 July 2026
  • For instance, imagine users asking for advice on interpersonal conflicts or looking for feedback on work collaboration with international partners.
    — Alexandra Figueroa, The Conversation, 14 July 2026
Definition of conflicts

Browse Nearby Words

hot war
hot wars
hot water
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Hot wars.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hot%20wars. Accessed 19 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 17
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
child-detective
Spot the Misspelled Word July 2026 Those little red underlines can't help you now...
See All