war footing
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of war footing
First recorded in 1890–95
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.
"We are on a war footing and all our armed forces are fully ready, with all their resources and equipment, to confront any enemy," he said.
From Barron's ● May 24, 2026
But there are risks to staying on a constant war footing, like failing to turn its tactical gains into a strategic change in Israel’s position.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 16, 2026
But with the entire nation on a war footing, housing construction slowed dramatically, leaving many of the new war workers with nowhere to live.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2025
Today, Scunthorpe has an air of a town returning to a war footing; a community fighting to keep the coke ovens burning, with 2,700 jobs and its identity etched into steel at stake.
From BBC ● Apr. 10, 2025
The lab had been operating virtually on a war footing for two years.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
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.
