war
1 Americannoun
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a conflict carried on by force of arms, as between nations or between parties within a nation; warfare, as by land, sea, or air.
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a state or period of armed hostility or active military operations.
The two nations were at war with each other.
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a contest carried on by force of arms, as in a series of battles or campaigns.
the War of 1812.
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armed fighting, as a science, profession, activity, or art; methods or principles of waging armed conflict.
War is the soldier's business.
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active hostility or contention; conflict; contest.
a war of words.
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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.
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a struggle to achieve a goal.
the war on cancer;
a war against poverty;
a war for hearts and minds.
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Cards.
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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.
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an occasion in this game when both turned up cards match.
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Archaic. a battle.
verb (used without object)
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to make or carry on war; fight.
to war with a neighboring nation.
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to carry on active hostility or contention.
Throughout her life she warred with sin and corruption.
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to be in conflict or in a state of strong opposition.
The temptation warred with his conscience.
adjective
adjective
abbreviation
noun
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open armed conflict between two or more parties, nations, or states
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a particular armed conflict
the 1973 war in the Middle East
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the techniques of armed conflict as a study, science, or profession
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any conflict or contest
a war of wits
the war against crime
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(modifier) of, relating to, resulting from, or characteristic of war
a war hero
war damage
a war story
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to have made the most of the opportunities presented to one during wartime
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informal (esp of a child) hurt or knocked about, esp as a result of quarrelling and fighting
verb
abbreviation
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
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.
Ties that date back centuries are under heavy strain from Iran’s bombardments during the war.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 4, 2026
Former Air Force officials say that the fact that such an incident hasn’t happened until now underscores the successful U.S. efforts to suppress Iran’s air defenses early in the war.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 4, 2026
The "peace or war" message, argues Zoltan Kiszelly, the Fidesz analyst, is more sophisticated than it sounds.
From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026
In the early days of the war, transponder data showed dozens of ships broadcasting messages such as "Chinese crew" or "Chinese owner" in the field usually used for their destination.
From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026
But I know that this is my best chance of getting out of this war alive.
From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler
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.
