This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
war
1[ wawr ]
/ wɔr /
Save This Word!
This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
noun
verb (used without object), warred, war·ring.
adjective
of, belonging to, used in, or due to war: war preparations; war hysteria.
QUIZ
WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?
Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!
Question 1 of 7
Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.
Origin of war
1First recorded before 1150; Middle English noun wer(re), war(re), late Old English werre, wyrre, from Old North French wer(r)e, waire, from Old Frankish werra (unrecorded), from Germanic; cognate with Old High German werra, Middle Low German, Middle Dutch werre “strife, discord”; verb derivative of the noun; akin to war2, worse
WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH war
war , woreWords nearby war
wapentake, wapiti, wappenshaw, wapperjaw, Wapsipinicon, war, waragi, War and Peace, Warangal, waratah, warb
Other definitions for war (2 of 3)
war2
[ wahr ]
/ wɑr /
adjective, adverb Scot. and North England.
worse.
Origin of war
2Other definitions for war (3 of 3)
war.
abbreviation
warrant.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use war in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for war (1 of 2)
war
/ (wɔː) /
noun
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
Other Idioms and Phrases with war
war
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.