warfare

[wawr-fair]

noun

1. the process of military struggle between two nations or groups of nations; war.

2. armed conflict between two massed enemies, armies, or the like.

3. conflict, especially when vicious and unrelenting, between competitors, political rivals, etc.

warfare

/ ˈwɔːˌfɛə /

noun

1. the act, process, or an instance of waging war

2. conflict, struggle, or strife

Other Word Forms

• semiwarfare noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of warfare¹

1425–75; late Middle English werefare, i.e., a faring forth to war; war ¹, fare

Example Sentences

“China is improving its capabilities in all areas of warfare at a pace and scale not seen in the world for nearly a century,” according to Australia’s new defense strategy.

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Those wargames have included shooting down air attacks on the Northern Fleet, Russia’s premier NATO-facing fleet, as well as carrying out drills with electronic warfare equipment that Moscow uses to disable Ukrainian drones.

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The latest and most dramatic example is “Evil Unbound,” a big-budget film about an infamous unit of the Japanese Imperial Army that conducted germ warfare and chemical experiments on live humans.

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Russian fighter jets and drones are testing the boundaries of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, engaging in gray-zone warfare in Estonia, Poland, Romania and perhaps Denmark.

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Blockades have a long history in warfare, and for just as long navies have challenged them.

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Related Words

• battle 
• campaigning www.thesaurus.com
• clash 
• combat 
• competition 
• discord 
• fighting 
• rivalry 
• strife 
• struggle 
• war