Iran-Iraq War

British

noun

Also called: Gulf War. the war (1980–88) fought by Iran and Iraq, following the Iraqi invasion of disputed border territory in Iran. It ended indecisively with no important gains on either side: Iraq subsequently (1990) conceded the disputed territory

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

It took months for the strait to be fully cleared of mines after the Iran-Iraq War in 1988—and unlike today, that was during peacetime.

From Barron's • Mar. 11, 2026

That dropped due to infrastructure damage from the Iran-Iraq War, the loss of foreign expertise and chronic underinvestment.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 10, 2026

It opened in 1979, just ahead of the Iran-Iraq War.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 25, 2023

The Khorramshahr-4 is named after an Iranian city that was the scene of heavy fighting during the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s.

From Washington Times • May 25, 2023

By 1982, with the hostage crisis finally over, but with no end in sight for the Iran-Iraq War or Khomeini's rule, my parents decided to peace out of the Middle East.

From "Americanized" by Sara Saedi

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023