1
: military operations between enemies : hostilities, war
also
: an activity undertaken by a political unit (such as a nation) to weaken or destroy another
economic warfare
2
: struggle between competing entities : conflict
see also biological warfare, chemical warfare, cyber warfare, germ warfare, psychological warfare, trench warfare
Synonyms
Examples of warfare in a Sentence
that troubled household seems to be almost constantly in a state of warfare
companies engaged in constant warfare for dominance in the market for smart phones and tablets
Recent Examples on the Web
Lucas Ramirez Mountain View GOP will usher in crushing class warfare
The class war is about to get much worse.
—
Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 16 Apr. 2024
The Quds Force is Iran’s unconventional warfare wing that has supported Tehran’s proxies and regional partners with money, weapons and equipment for decades.
—Javed Ali, The Conversation, 11 Apr. 2024
Broadcasted online to hundreds of attendees, the webinar featured a lineup of election conspiracists, Republican lawmakers, a guy who wrote a book about fifth-generation warfare, and former GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy.
—David Gilbert, WIRED, 8 Apr. 2024
Iran’s national security establishment sees investing in asymmetric warfare as an economical means of gaining leverage against more powerful adversaries, especially the United States.
—Suzanne Maloney, Foreign Affairs, 8 Apr. 2024
Hip-hop has been built on its fair share of historic feuds over the years and while the landscape of rap beef has changed its warfare tactics with the introduction of social media, fans are always going to indulge when the competitive juices get flowing in battle.
—Jason Lipshutz, Billboard, 2 Apr. 2024
Indeed, there is an entire through line in his book of figures who employed prehistory to criticize colonialism, capitalism, modern warfare, and modernity more broadly.
—William Deresiewicz, The Atlantic, 2 Apr. 2024
For years, experts have warned about the dangers of using AI in warfare.
—David Meyer, Fortune, 4 Apr. 2024
The warfare over plans by Oakland International Airport to incorporate San Francisco Bay into its name widened on Wednesday after the East Bay aviation hub drafted travel leaders to take up its cause.
—George Avalos, The Mercury News, 3 Apr. 2024
Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 16 Apr. 2024
The Quds Force is Iran’s unconventional warfare wing that has supported Tehran’s proxies and regional partners with money, weapons and equipment for decades.
—Javed Ali, The Conversation, 11 Apr. 2024
Broadcasted online to hundreds of attendees, the webinar featured a lineup of election conspiracists, Republican lawmakers, a guy who wrote a book about fifth-generation warfare, and former GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy.
—David Gilbert, WIRED, 8 Apr. 2024
Iran’s national security establishment sees investing in asymmetric warfare as an economical means of gaining leverage against more powerful adversaries, especially the United States.
—Suzanne Maloney, Foreign Affairs, 8 Apr. 2024
Hip-hop has been built on its fair share of historic feuds over the years and while the landscape of rap beef has changed its warfare tactics with the introduction of social media, fans are always going to indulge when the competitive juices get flowing in battle.
—Jason Lipshutz, Billboard, 2 Apr. 2024
Indeed, there is an entire through line in his book of figures who employed prehistory to criticize colonialism, capitalism, modern warfare, and modernity more broadly.
—William Deresiewicz, The Atlantic, 2 Apr. 2024
For years, experts have warned about the dangers of using AI in warfare.
—David Meyer, Fortune, 4 Apr. 2024
The warfare over plans by Oakland International Airport to incorporate San Francisco Bay into its name widened on Wednesday after the East Bay aviation hub drafted travel leaders to take up its cause.
—George Avalos, The Mercury News, 3 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'warfare.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near warfare
Cite this Entry
“Warfare.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/warfare. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
warfare
noun
war·fare
ˈwȯr-ˌfa(ə)r 
-ˌfe(ə)r
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