law of war

American  

noun

1. rules or a code of rules governing the rights and duties of belligerents in an international war.

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Etymology

Origin of law of war

First recorded in 1945–50

Example Sentences

The Defense Department has rightly incorporated this standard into its Law of War Manual.

From The Wall Street Journal

However, the Defense Department’s Law of War Manual highlights the particular crime of obeying orders that are “clearly illegal” or that “the subordinate knows, in fact, are illegal.”

From Slate

The Pentagon’s own law of war manual prohibits “hostilities on the basis that there shall be no survivors.”

From The Wall Street Journal

The other thing that’s worth noting about the context of 1798 is that the law of war, under the law of nations, allowed these noncitizens from the foreign belligerent to be treated as though they were prisoners of war.

From Slate

Today, under the law of war, civilians are supposed to have protections, including against citizenship- or identity-based detentions or internment, as well as against forced repatriation.

From Slate