law of war
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of law of war
First recorded in 1945–50
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.
The Pentagon’s own law of war manual prohibits “hostilities on the basis that there shall be no survivors.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 1, 2025
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 ● Mar. 20, 2025
“In accordance with the law of war, we’ve got to do what’s necessary to protect those civilians.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 31, 2023
The Geneva Conventions, which govern the law of war and which Russia has signed, specify that captured volunteer fighters can also be considered prisoners of war.
From New York Times ● Jun. 17, 2022
The administration of the law of war ought therefore to be intrusted primarily to the State which wields the public power in the place where an offence is committed.
From Letters to "The Times" upon War and Neutrality (1881-1920) by Holland, Thomas Erskine, Sir
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
