Synonyms

prewar

American

[pree-wawr] / ˈpriˈwɔr /

adjective

before the war.

prewar prices.

prewar British

/ ˈpriːˌwɔː, ˌpriːˈwɔː /

adjective

of or occurring in the period before a war, esp before World War I or II

"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

Etymology

Origin of prewar

First recorded in 1905–10; pre- + war ¹

Vocabulary lists containing prewar

"The Diary of a Young Girl," Vocabulary from the diary

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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.

In short, there is no going back to the prewar status quo for oil markets.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 12, 2026

Even if it succeeds, “Project Freedom” has little chance of restoring traffic through the strait to its prewar level.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 6, 2026

“You cannot run 135 vessels a day, the prewar baseline, through a narrow guided lane that depends on continuous overhead air defense,” she said.

From MarketWatch • May 5, 2026

A retreat in oil prices may have helped indexes across the board—even if they still remain high compared with prewar levels.

From Barron's • Apr. 30, 2026

The elevator was prewar, with gilded, curving bars like a birdcage.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides

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