War of 1812

American  

noun

1. the war between the United States and Great Britain from 1812 to 1815.

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War of 1812 British  

noun

1. a war between Great Britain and the US, fought chiefly along the Canadian border (1812–14)

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War of 1812 Cultural  

1. A war between Britain and the United States, fought between 1812 and 1815. The War of 1812 has also been called the second American war for independence. It began over alleged British violations of American shipping rights, such as the impressment of seamen — the forcing of American merchant sailors to serve on British ships. American soldiers attacked Canada unsuccessfully in the war, and the British retaliated by burning the White House and other buildings in Washington, D.C. American warships frequently prevailed over British vessels (see “We have met the enemy, and they are ours”). The greatest victory for the Americans came in the Battle of New Orleans, in which Andrew Jackson was the commanding general — a battle fought, ironically, two weeks after the peace treaty ending the war had been signed, but before the armies could be informed. (See also “The Star-Spangled Banner.”)

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

War of 1812

Trade was also at issue in the War of 1812, when the U.S. sided with Napoleonic France in its death struggle with Great Britain.

From Barron's ● Jun. 5, 2026

Public attention was stirred by the story of how Stephen Pleaston saved it from the flames when the British attacked Washington, D.C., during the War of 1812.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026

Napoleon's invasion of Russia in 1812, known as the "Patriotic War of 1812," ended in one of history's most disastrous retreats.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 26, 2025

That book is a Pulitzer Prize-winning account of America during the turbulent years from the end of the War of 1812 to the end of the Mexican War in 1848.

From Salon ● Jul. 26, 2025

I don’t want to think about the War of 1812.

From "Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda" by Becky Albertalli