cold war

American  

[kohld wawr] / ˈkoʊld ˈwɔr /

noun

1. Usually the Cold War the rivalry after World War II between the Soviet Union and its satellites on the one hand, and the United States and other Western democracies on the other: waged on many fronts including economic, political, educational, scientific, and military.

   During the Cold War, the space race provided another avenue of competition without direct military conflict.

2. intense economic, political, military, and ideological rivalry between nations that does not extend to military conflict; sustained hostile political policies and an atmosphere of strain between opposed countries.

   The Sunni Arab states, especially Saudi Arabia, became embroiled in a cold war with Shiite Iran.

3. a continuing state of resentful antagonism between two parties that does not extend to open hostility or violence.

   She's fed up with this cold war between her husband and her mother.

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adjective

1. Usually Cold War relating to the rivalry between the Soviet Union and Western democracies after World War II.

   Many industries benefited from Cold War defense spending.

2. relating to hostile relations or intense rivalry between nations or persons that does not extend to open conflict.

   We both knew how much damage we were doing with our cold war tactics.

cold war British  

noun

1. a state of political hostility and military tension between two countries or power blocs, involving propaganda, subversion, threats, economic sanctions, and other measures short of open warfare, esp that between the American and Soviet blocs after World War II (the Cold War )

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cold war Cultural  

1. A constant nonviolent state of hostility between the Soviet Union and the United States. The cold war began shortly after World War II, with the rapid extension of Soviet influence over eastern Europe and North Korea. With the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, the cold war ended. (See Berlin airlift, Berlin wall (see also Berlin wall), and Iron Curtain.)

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Etymology

Origin of cold war

First recorded in 1945, coined by George Orwell ( def. ) (1903–50)

Compare meaning

How does cold-war compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• cold war vs. hot war

Example Sentences

This does not have to be an opening salvo in a cold war with your family and/or coded message to your sister.

From MarketWatch

The last time gender’s cold war erupted into a battle fought on such explicit terms was around 50 years ago.

From Salon

“It’s like a cold war for us,” she says.

From BBC

This is a cold war that has simmered over the last decade finally boiling to the surface. 

From BBC

Even now, the U.S. and Russia cooperate on the International Space Station, and in the middle of the cold war, we exchanged lunar samples from the Apollo and Luna missions.

From Scientific American