civil war

noun

plural civil wars

: a war between opposing groups of citizens of the same country

a country on the brink of (a) civil war

—often used in the capitalized names of specific wars

the Spanish Civil War

(American/U.S.) Civil War monuments

Note: The American Civil War, fought 1861–1865 between the United States and 11 southern states that had seceded from it, is also commonly known as the U.S. Civil War, or especially in the U.S. as the War Between the States or simply the Civil War.

Examples of civil war in a Sentence

a region that has had many civil wars

The country is on the brink of civil war.

Recent Examples on the Web

The fighting in Yemen also marks a return to a devastating civil war after four years of relative calm. — Toqa Ezzidin, Los Angeles Times, 19 Sep. 2026

Liberia's civil wars killed almost 250,000 people, most of them civilians, according to the United Nations. — Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 18 Sep. 2026

The civil war dates back to 2014, when the Houthis seized much of northern Yemen, including the capital, Sanaa. — ABC News, 17 Sep. 2026

The film offers a portrait of a remote Salvadoran village whose inhabitants carry the memory of a massacre during the country’s civil war. — Leo Barraclough, Variety, 16 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1533, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for civil war

• albacore
• alongshore
• antiwar
• anymore
• carnivore
• commodore
• dinosaur
• evermore
• furthermore
• guarantor
• herbivore
• heretofore

Kids Definition

civil war

noun

: a war between opposing groups of citizens of the same country or nation