World War III

noun

1

: a hypothetical future world war

Among the citizens of these two countries, the suspicion exists that in the event of World War III their lands will pass unnoticed and unscathed …

—Gordon Ackerman

For years legislators have gone through the motions, knowing that nothing would change. This year they can't be so sure. "Until we have a vote, I'm not moving off this for the budget or World War III," John McCain told me.

—Jonathan Alter

2

: a major fight or disagreement : a situation in which people are very angry with one another

You instigate World War III when he tells you he wants to go to Hooters with his old frat buddies.

—Julie Taylor

Examples of World War III in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Other apocalyptic anxieties revolve around World War III (25%), climate change (19%), another pandemic (12%), and killer robots (2%). —Bychloe Berger, Fortune, 12 Apr. 2024

Actress and talk show host Joy Behar regularly fires off political jokes (and warnings about the dangers of World War III) on weekday mornings at The View's Hot Topics table, but her signature brand of comedy could've found a different home on late-night airwaves if fate hadn't intervened. —EW.com, 28 Mar. 2024

Most of the testing was in preparation for the possibility of World War III, William Roy, who studies radioactive waste management at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, tells ABC News. —Tara Wu, Smithsonian Magazine, 6 Mar. 2024

President Biden has said Washington must avoid the start of World War III and a direct clash between nuclear powers. —Paul Sonne, New York Times, 27 Feb. 2024

However, some of her predictions turned out to be false, including that World War III would begin in 1958 and that the Soviets would put men on the moon first. —Alex Groth, Journal Sentinel, 21 Feb. 2024

The drama series is set as World War III is about to break out, leading a group of multimillionaires to take refuge in a luxury bunker. —Georg Szalai, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Feb. 2024

With those same pressures evident today, is World War III a possibility, what might be the tipping point in the spread of regional conflicts that could set off a global war? —Dana Taylor, USA TODAY, 22 Jan. 2024

Watch Behar warn its studio audience about World War III in the video above. —EW.com, 27 Oct. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1940, in the meaning defined at sense 1