war

¹ American  

[wawr] / wɔr /

noun

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

2. a state or period of armed hostility or active military operations.

   The two nations were at war with each other.

3. a contest carried on by force of arms, as in a series of battles or campaigns.

   the War of 1812.

4. armed fighting, as a science, profession, activity, or art; methods or principles of waging armed conflict.

   War is the soldier's business.

5. active hostility or contention; conflict; contest.

   a war of words.

6. 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.

7. a struggle to achieve a goal.

   the war on cancer;

   a war against poverty;

   a war for hearts and minds.

8. Cards.

   1. 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.

   2. an occasion in this game when both turned up cards match.

9. Archaic. a battle.

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verb (used without object)

warred, warring

1. to make or carry on war; fight.

   to war with a neighboring nation.

2. to carry on active hostility or contention.

   Throughout her life she warred with sin and corruption.

3. to be in conflict or in a state of strong opposition.

   The temptation warred with his conscience.

adjective

1. of, belonging to, used in, or due to war.

   war preparations; war hysteria.

war ² American  

[wahr] / wɑr /

adjective

Scot. and North England.

1. worse.

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war. ³ American  

abbreviation

1. warrant.

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war ¹ British  

/ wɔː /

noun

1. open armed conflict between two or more parties, nations, or states

2. a particular armed conflict

   the 1973 war in the Middle East

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

4. any conflict or contest

   a war of wits

   the war against crime

5. (modifier) of, relating to, resulting from, or characteristic of war

   a war hero

   war damage

   a war story

6. to have made the most of the opportunities presented to one during wartime

7. informal (esp of a child) hurt or knocked about, esp as a result of quarrelling and fighting

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verb

1. (intr) to conduct a war

War. ² British  

abbreviation

1. Warwickshire

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war Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing war

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

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Etymology

Origin of war¹

First 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 war ², worse

Origin of war²

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English wer(re), war(re), from Old Norse verri worse

Explanation

War is armed combat between two or more countries or between different groups of people within the same country. As the soul singer Edwin Starr asked, "War! Huh! What is it good for?" Absolutely nothing. The term "civil war" means not that the war is courteous and polite, but that it is between citizens of the same nation or community, as in the American Civil War. Often war refers to nonmilitary combat or tension, such as between angry neighbors, or rival sports teams, or between different social classes — as in "class war," or government policies such as the "war on drugs."

Example Sentences

Brian Jacobsen, chief economic strategist at Annex Wealth Management, said he had concerns that companies would face margin pressure before the war and that the Middle East conflict has only exacerbated those worries.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 20, 2026

It is a story that involves war, displacement, a cart ride across Europe, a refugee camp and some visa troubles.

From BBC • Apr. 20, 2026

Before the war, interest-rate futures suggested that traders saw a 79% chance that the Fed would cut rates at least twice this year, according to CME Group.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 20, 2026

The state-run Mehr news agency said the foreign minister's post had "provided the best opportunity for Trump to go beyond reality, declare himself the winner of the war and celebrate victory".

From BBC • Apr. 19, 2026

A rifle leans against his grandfather’s leg and I wonder if this drawing was made of the hunting party, of the day Theo was to have gone off to war.

From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse

Related Words

• battle
• bloodshed
• combat
• conflict
• fighting
• hostility
• strife
• strike
• struggle
• warfare