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Synonyms

world war

American  

noun

world wars plural
  1. a war that involves most of the principal nations of the world.


Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of world war

First recorded in 1910–15

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.

See Examples For:

DST, which also helped conserve fuel during the first world war, was unpopular with farmers and was repealed after the war.

From BBC Jul. 14, 2026

She has lived through a significant chunk of American history, including a world war, the Great Depression, the civil-rights movement, and the unfortunate advent of pickleball.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 3, 2026

For example, children born to mothers who endured famine in the Netherlands during the second world war were more likely to develop heart disease, type 2 diabetes and schizophrenia later in life.

From Science Daily Jun. 17, 2026

Eliot theorized in his 1925 poem “The Hollow Men,” a bleak assessment of life after the first world war.

From Barron's Jun. 1, 2026

They discussed whether Adam and Eve had been real people or whether there would ever be another world war.

From "Homesick" by Jean Fritz

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