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 war
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
Instead of fighting hot wars, the United States and its partners should leverage the great strength of the maritime world against the great weakness of the continentalists: their different capacities to generate wealth.
—S. C. M. Paine, Foreign Affairs, 19 Aug. 2025
But American diplomacy — backed up by our military might — is what kept us out of a hot war with the Soviet Union, has prevented war between China and Taiwan, and ended conflict between Egypt and Israel, to name a few.
—Elizabeth Shackelford, Mercury News, 1 Aug. 2025
The performative exchange of military strikes between Iran and the US means that a nuclear tipped hot war in the Middle East is off the cards for the moment, though the bad news is that a far greater crisis awaits.
—Mike O'Sullivan, Forbes.com, 28 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for hot war
Los Angeles Times, 10 Feb. 2026
Instead of fighting hot wars, the United States and its partners should leverage the great strength of the maritime world against the great weakness of the continentalists: their different capacities to generate wealth.
—S. C. M. Paine, Foreign Affairs, 19 Aug. 2025
But American diplomacy — backed up by our military might — is what kept us out of a hot war with the Soviet Union, has prevented war between China and Taiwan, and ended conflict between Egypt and Israel, to name a few.
—Elizabeth Shackelford, Mercury News, 1 Aug. 2025
The performative exchange of military strikes between Iran and the US means that a nuclear tipped hot war in the Middle East is off the cards for the moment, though the bad news is that a far greater crisis awaits.
—Mike O'Sullivan, Forbes.com, 28 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for hot war
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hot war
hostilities
Noun
-
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
-
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
Cite this Entry
“Hot war.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hot%20war. Accessed 28 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
