War Definition & Meaning

American

British

Idioms

Etymology

Examples

Related Words

Synonyms war 1 American [wawr] / wɔr /

noun

1. a conflict carried on by force of arms, as between nations or between parties within a nation; warfare, as by land, sea, or air.

2. a state or period of armed hostility or active military operations.

   The two nations were at war with each other.

3. a contest carried on by force of arms, as in a series of battles or campaigns.

   the War of 1812.

4. armed fighting, as a science, profession, activity, or art; methods or principles of waging armed conflict.

   War is the soldier's business.

5. active hostility or contention; conflict; contest.

   a war of words.

6. aggressive business conflict, as through severe price cutting in the same industry or any other means of undermining competitors.

   a fare war among airlines; a trade war between nations.

7. a struggle to achieve a goal.

   the war on cancer;

   a war against poverty;

   a war for hearts and minds.

8. Cards.

   1. a game for two or more persons, played with a 52-card pack evenly divided between the players, in which each player turns up one card at a time with the higher card taking the lower, and in which, when both turned up cards match, each player lays one card face down and turns up another, the player with the higher card of the second turn taking all the cards laid down.

   2. an occasion in this game when both turned up cards match.

9. Archaic. a battle.

verb (used without object)

warred, warring

1. to make or carry on war; fight.

   to war with a neighboring nation.

2. to carry on active hostility or contention.

   Throughout her life she warred with sin and corruption.

3. to be in conflict or in a state of strong opposition.

   The temptation warred with his conscience.

adjective

1. of, belonging to, used in, or due to war.

   war preparations; war hysteria.

war 2 American [wahr] / wɑr /

adjective

Scot. and North England.

1. worse.

war. 3 American

abbreviation

1. warrant.

war 1 British / wɔː /

noun

1. open armed conflict between two or more parties, nations, or states

2. a particular armed conflict

   the 1973 war in the Middle East

3. the techniques of armed conflict as a study, science, or profession

4. any conflict or contest

   a war of wits

   the war against crime

5. (modifier) of, relating to, resulting from, or characteristic of war

   a war hero

   war damage

   a war story

6. to have made the most of the opportunities presented to one during wartime

7. informal (esp of a child) hurt or knocked about, esp as a result of quarrelling and fighting

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

1. (intr) to conduct a war

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 War. 2 British

abbreviation

1. Warwickshire

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 war Idioms

More idioms and phrases containing war

• all's fair in love and war
• at war
• been to the wars
• declare war
• tug of war

Etymology

Origin of war1

First recorded before 1150; Middle English noun wer(re), war(re), late Old English werre, wyrre, from Old North French wer(r)e, waire, from Old Frankish werra (unrecorded), from Germanic; cognate with Old High German werra, Middle Low German, Middle Dutch werre “strife, discord”; verb derivative of the noun; akin to war 2, worse

Origin of war2

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English wer(re), war(re), from Old Norse verri worse

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

We Pay The Tariffs, a coalition of small businesses that has spoken out against the tariffs, said the trade war has put hiring and expansion plans on hold over the past year.

From MarketWatch

Elderly islanders told Routledge the legend of Rapa Nui: Long, long ago, the island had been fought over by two warring races, the Short Ears and their oppressors, the fearsome Long Ears.

From The Wall Street Journal

For most of human history, armies were untroubled by prisoners of war.

From The Wall Street Journal

Another point of contention will be the Ukraine war, where Germany has been a strong backer of Kyiv since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion four years ago next week.

From Barron's

Most Russians killed in the war have Slavic surnames.

From BBC

Related Words

• battle
• bloodshed
• combat
• conflict
• fighting
• hostility
• strife
• strike
• struggle
• warfare

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.