hot war

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noun

open military conflict; an armed conflict between nations: The increasing tension in the Middle East could lead to a hot war.

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QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

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Origin of hot war

First recorded in 1945–50; by analogy with cold war

Words nearby hot war

hot toddy, hot to trot, hot tub, hot under the collar, hot up, hot war, hot water, hot-water bag, hot-water bottle, hot well, hot-wire

How to use hot war in a sentence

He endangered an ally in attempting to extort Ukraine in the middle of a hot war against Russia.
Liz Cheney has some tough calls to make|Jennifer Rubin|September 27, 2021|Washington Post
She was apprehended before she had an opportunity to grab the microphone and give her prepared speech demanding “the end of all cold and hot wars.”
The IOC may not like it, but the Olympics have always been a forum for protest|Harry Blutstein|July 23, 2021|Washington Post
Two events—one a hot war and another a diplomatic one—thrust the Israeli-Palestinian conflict yet again into the limelight.
Why Obama Should Push For A Deal|Ali Gharib|December 1, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The development of nuclear weapons deterred the U.S. and the Soviet Union from the hot war they might otherwise have fought.
Send Robots to the Moon, Not People|David Frum|January 30, 2012|DAILY BEAST

The rest of my life was to be devoted to the Royal Navy, if only a hot war should come again; of which we already felt simmerings.
The Maid of Sker|Richard Doddridge Blackmore
Now the bloom had passed away, and the dew dried up in the hot war-atmosphere.
Mohun, or, The Last Days of Lee and his Paladins|John Esten Cooke
During the holidays, hot war raged between Tod and his step-mother.
Johnny Ludlow. First Series|Mrs. Henry Wood
Unknown to Lewis and Clark, though they gradually came to discover it, hot war was waging in the north.
The Conquest|Eva Emery Dye
In the Moluccas also they had done much injury to the Spaniards, and a hot war was there expected.
A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels, Vol. VIII.|Robert Kerr