Synonyms

war zone

American

noun

(during wartime) a combat area in which the rights of neutrals are suspended, as such an area on the high seas, where ships flying a neutral flag are subject to attack.

Etymology

Origin of war zone

First recorded in 1915–20

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.

See Examples For:

war zone

Well, for the first century of our republic, the border was a literal war zone.

From Slate ● Jul. 3, 2026

But the extra cost of operating in a war zone, on top of standard marine insurance, certainly has been turning heads.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 18, 2026

The sea is sometimes so tranquil that Captain Hassan Khan forgets his ship has been stuck in the middle of a war zone for three months.

From BBC ● Jun. 2, 2026

The award "acknowledges the sacrifice and endurance of local Palestinian media professionals living and working in a war zone," said WAN-IFRA, which holds its 2026 World News Media Congress from Monday to Wednesday.

From Barron's ● May 29, 2026

Our kitchen would end up looking like a war zone, and Dad would walk in and act all mad like, I won’t be cleaning up this time!

From "The Science of Breakable Things" by Tae Keller

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