at war

Idioms  

1. Engaged in armed conflict; also, in a state of disagreement. This term may be used literally, usually of nations or smaller groups engaged in armed hostilities, as well as hyperbolically, describing a mild disagreement as “war,” and figuratively, for an inner conflict. For example, The Greeks and Turks have been at war for many years (literally); The two families were at war about the bill for the wedding reception (hyperbolic); and, as Shakespeare put it in Measure for Measure (2:2): “I am at war 'twixt will and will not” (inner conflict of indecision). [Late 1300s]

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

at war

After 20 years away — 10 at war, 10 adrift — Odysseus is anxious to reclaim his kingdom.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026

Pyongyang is under widespread sanctions over its nuclear programme, and the two Koreas remain technically at war as their 1950-53 conflict ended without a peace treaty.

From Barron's ● Jul. 10, 2026

Despite being at war, the Ukrainian Ministry of Digital Transformation has introduced an app, recently enhanced with an artificial-intelligence assistant, that gives people access to the state.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026

Merely a week after the War of 1812 ended, the U.S. was at war with Algiers.

From Salon ● Jul. 4, 2026

I hate electrical storms; they sound as if the sky is at war with itself.

From "First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers" by Loung Ung