civil war

American  

[siv-uhl wawr] / ˈsɪv əl ˈwɔr /

noun

1. a war between political factions or regions within the same country.

---

civil war ¹ British  

noun

1. war between parties, factions, or inhabitants of different regions within the same nation

---

Civil War ² British  

noun

1. English history the conflict between Charles I and the Parliamentarians resulting from disputes over their respective prerogatives. Parliament gained decisive victories at Marston Moor in 1644 and Naseby in 1645, and Charles was executed in 1649

2. history the war fought from 1861 to 1865 between the North and the South, sparked off by Lincoln's election as president but with deep-rooted political and economic causes, exacerbated by the slavery issue. The advantages of the North in terms of population, finance, and communications brought about the South's eventual surrender at Appomattox

---

Civil War Cultural  

1. The war fought in the United States between northern (Union) and southern (Confederate) states from 1861 to 1865, in which the Confederacy sought to establish itself as a separate nation. The Civil War is also known as the War for Southern Independence and as the War between the States. The war grew out of deep-seated differences between the social structure and economy of North and South, most notably over slavery; generations of political maneuvers had been unable to overcome these differences (see Missouri Compromise and Compromise of 1850). The secession of the southern states began in late 1860, after Abraham Lincoln was elected president. The Confederacy was formed in early 1861. The fighting began with the Confederate attack on Fort Sumter. Most of the battles took place in the South, but one extremely crucial episode, the Battle of Gettysburg, was fought in the North. The war ended with the surrender of General Robert E. Lee to General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House. (See Battle of Bull Run, Battle of Chancellorsville, Emancipation Proclamation, and Sherman's march to the sea.)

---

Discover More

The Civil War has been the most serious test yet of the ability of the United States to remain one nation.

Etymology

Origin of civil war

First recorded in 1540–50

Example Sentences

The show also addresses the Syria refugee crisis through the story of the Syrian character's family, who fled to the struggling neighbouring country to escape the civil war.

From Barron's

For the Kurds, the agreement all but ended their de facto autonomy in Syria, which they established during the country's 13-year civil war.

From Barron's

They point to the 1971 fall of Lin Biao, who was dubbed the “invincible general” for his crucial role in winning the Chinese civil war.

From The Wall Street Journal

Sudan's civil war erupted in April 2023 out of a power struggle between the regular army and the RSF over how and whether the paramilitaries would integrate into the security forces.

From BBC

UN experts Monday called for an investigation into Guatemalan Attorney General Maria Consuelo Porras for possible involvement in illegal adoptions of Indigenous children in the 1980s, during the country's civil war.

From Barron's