preventive war

American  

noun

Military.

1. an attack against a presumed enemy to prevent a possible attack by that enemy at a later time: because preventive wars are prompted more by speculation than by clearly imminent danger, they generally are considered unacceptable in international law.

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Etymology

Origin of preventive war

First recorded in 1630–40

Example Sentences

Just months before joining the administration, he tried to make the legal case for a preventive war against Pyongyang.

From The Guardian • May 16, 2019

And there is National Security Advisor General HR McMaster, who's been the most vocal about the possibility of a "preventive war" to stop North Korea from threatening the US with a nuclear weapon.

From BBC • Mar. 16, 2018

“In post-Iraq America, I cannot see that preventive war is a politically palatable solution,” said Auslin, whose new book is called “The End of the Asian Century.”

From Washington Post • Oct. 17, 2017

It repudiates not only preventive war, but also the fantasy that economic sanctions can bring down or fundamentally alter hostile regimes.

From Time • Apr. 8, 2015

Until the end of the crisis, the idea of a preventive war continually recurred to my mind.

From World's War Events, Vol. I by Reynolds, Francis J. (Francis Joseph)