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• civil war
  civil war

  noun

  a war between political factions or regions within the same country.
• Civil War
  Civil War

  noun

  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

civil war

American  

[siv-uhl wawr] / ˈsɪv əl ˈwɔr /

noun

• civil wars
  plural

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

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civil war ¹ British  

noun

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

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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

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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.)

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

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• civil wars
  plural

Etymology

Origin of civil war

First recorded in 1540–50

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

civil war Civil War

Series 3 of I'm Not A Monster Presents, we reveal the findings of a years-long investigation into what happened to Tice, who had been reporting on Syria's civil war at the time.

From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026

The Yemeni civil war has uprooted millions of people, and the latest fighting has led even more to flee their homes.

From Barron's ● Sep. 12, 2026

Mahan flew Quds personnel to Syria during that country’s civil war and to Iraq by bypassing normal security procedures, the Treasury alleged in 2011.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026

The civil war erupted in April 2023, when the RSF launched attacks across the country aimed at dislodging its rival, the Sudanese military.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026

From 1851 to 1857, the country moved closer to civil war.

From "Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad" by Ann Petry

As of last week, 104 laws have been enacted in the current Congress, putting it on pace for fewer than any of its predecessors since the Civil War.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026

What to know: Taking place across three time periods, this sweeping epic looks at how the legacy of the Spanish Civil War shapes the lives of multiple gay men.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 7, 2026

These letters haven’t been issued since the Civil War, but the parallel is obvious and creates shades of gray that could present major problems.

From Salon ● Aug. 17, 2026

The law was originally meant to grant citizenship to American-born, formerly enslaved people following the American Civil War.

From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026

Guiteau spent the Civil War years at the commune.

From "Ambushed!" by Gail Jarrow