war

[ wawr ]

/ wɔr /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR war ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a conflict carried on by force of arms, as between nations or between parties within a nation; warfare, as by land, sea, or air.

a state or period of armed hostility or active military operations: The two nations were at war with each other.

a contest carried on by force of arms, as in a series of battles or campaigns: the War of 1812.

armed fighting, as a science, profession, activity, or art; methods or principles of waging armed conflict: War is the soldier's business.

active hostility or contention; conflict; contest: a war of words.

aggressive business conflict, as through severe price cutting in the same industry or any other means of undermining competitors: a fare war among airlines; a trade war between nations.

a struggle to achieve a goal: the war on cancer; a war against poverty; a war for hearts and minds.

Cards.

a game for two or more persons, played with a 52-card pack evenly divided between the players, in which each player turns up one card at a time with the higher card taking the lower, and in which, when both turned up cards match, each player lays one card face down and turns up another, the player with the higher card of the second turn taking all the cards laid down.
an occasion in this game when both turned up cards match.

Archaic. a battle.

verb (used without object), warred, war·ring.

to make or carry on war; fight: to war with a neighboring nation.

to carry on active hostility or contention: Throughout her life she warred with sin and corruption.

to be in conflict or in a state of strong opposition: The temptation warred with his conscience.

adjective

of, belonging to, used in, or due to war: war preparations; war hysteria.

Nearby words

wapentake, wapiti, wappenshaw, wapperjaw, wapsipinicon, war, war and peace, war baby, war between the states, war bonnet, war bride

Origin of war

before 1150; (noun) Middle English, late Old English werre < Old North French < Germanic; cognate with Old High German werra strife; (v.) Middle English, late Old English werrien (transitive) to make war upon, derivative of the noun; compare Old French guerrer, Old North French werreier; akin to war²

Can be confused

war wore

Definition for war (2 of 3)

war

[ wahr ]

/ wɑr /

adjective, adverb Scot. and North England.

worse.

Origin of war

1150–1200; Middle English werre < Old Norse verri worse

Definition for war (3 of 3)

war.

warrant.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for war

Kennedy: "Mankind must put an end to war — or war will put an end to mankind."
Huckabee 2016: Bend Over and Take It Like a Prisoner!|Olivia Nuzzi|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
It is not a decisive war, with a single, signature victory, but a war of attrition.
Pentagon Doesn’t Know How Many People It’s Killed in the ISIS War|Nancy A. Youssef|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
In this war, the targeting is often happening on computer monitors thousands of miles away, capturing images from drones.
Pentagon Doesn’t Know How Many People It’s Killed in the ISIS War|Nancy A. Youssef|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
But this war jumps from city to city, depending the threat of the day.
Pentagon Doesn’t Know How Many People It’s Killed in the ISIS War|Nancy A. Youssef|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST

Pentagon leaders agree to a person that the U.S. war against ISIS is succeeding.
Pentagon Doesn’t Know How Many People It’s Killed in the ISIS War|Nancy A. Youssef|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
In time of war the Athenians send to their foes safe conducts to induce them to assist at the celebration.
Pagan Origin of Partialist Doctrines|John Claudius Pitrat
I heard about the 40 acres of land and a mule the ex-slaves would get after the war, but I didn't pay any attention to it.
Slave Narratives Vol. XIV. South Carolina, Part 1|Various
With the war effectually over we enter a new economic era, and its immediate effect on prices is difficult to anticipate.
Herbert Hoover|Vernon Kellogg
He sed he had kept a pretty close watch on the newspapers to see ef eny of them opposed the war or advocated slavery.
Letters of Major Jack Downing, of the Downingville Militia|Seba Smith
Had a war over here not long ago, I understand—somethin' like ten or fifteen years ago.
Graustark|George Barr McCutcheon

British Dictionary definitions for war (1 of 2)

war

/ (wɔː) /

noun

open armed conflict between two or more parties, nations, or statesRelated adjectives: belligerent, martial

a particular armed conflictthe 1973 war in the Middle East

the techniques of armed conflict as a study, science, or profession

any conflict or contesta war of wits; the war against crime

(modifier) of, relating to, resulting from, or characteristic of wara war hero; war damage; a war story

to have had a good war to have made the most of the opportunities presented to one during wartime

in the wars informal (esp of a child) hurt or knocked about, esp as a result of quarrelling and fighting

verb wars, warring or warred

(intr) to conduct a war

Word Origin for war

C12: from Old Northern French werre (variant of Old French guerre), of Germanic origin; related to Old High German werra

British Dictionary definitions for war (2 of 2)

War.

abbreviation for

Warwickshire

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

Idioms and Phrases with war

war

In addition to the idioms beginning with war

ward off
war horse
war of nerves

also see:

all's fair in love and war
at war
been to the wars
declare war
tug of war

war

noun

verb (used without object), warred, war·ring.

adjective

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RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of war

Can be confused

Definition for war (2 of 3)

war

adjective, adverb Scot. and North England.

Origin of war

Definition for war (3 of 3)

war.

Examples from the Web for war

British Dictionary definitions for war (1 of 2)

war

noun

verb wars, warring or warred

Word Origin for war

British Dictionary definitions for war (2 of 2)

War.

abbreviation for

Idioms and Phrases with war

war