war
1a conflict carried on by force of arms, as between nations or between parties within a nation; warfare, as by land, sea, or air.
a state or period of armed hostility or active military operations: The two nations were at war with each other.
a contest carried on by force of arms, as in a series of battles or campaigns: the War of 1812.
armed fighting, as a science, profession, activity, or art; methods or principles of waging armed conflict: War is the soldier's business.
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.
a struggle to achieve a goal: the war on cancer;a war against poverty;a war for hearts and minds.
Cards.
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.
an occasion in this game when both turned up cards match.
Archaic. a battle.
to make or carry on war; fight: to war with a neighboring nation.
to carry on active hostility or contention: Throughout her life she warred with sin and corruption.
to be in conflict or in a state of strong opposition: The temptation warred with his conscience.
of, belonging to, used in, or due to war: war preparations; war hysteria.
Origin of war
1Words that may be confused with war
- war , wore
Other definitions for war (2 of 3)
worse.
Origin of war
2Other definitions for war. (3 of 3)
warrant.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use war in a sentence
It’s clear that this holiday season, retailers that win the delivery wars will win the holidays.
The 2020 holiday season is here: Get your digital house in order | Adam Dorfman | November 12, 2020 | Search Engine LandCardoso took a position at the state-owned media agency, but left shortly before the post-independence civil war ended in 1992.
The Death of a Journalist — and a Free Press — in Mozambique | Eromo Egbejule | November 12, 2020 | OzyMany of these men and women have spent decades avoiding questions about their service during the war, leading their children and grandchildren to stop asking.
One man’s urgent mission: Photographing World War II veterans before they’re gone | Jessica Contrera | November 11, 2020 | Washington PostMany packaging plants contained residual radium from creating machinery during the war, and the contamination was enough to ruin the X-ray plates.
What really happened during the ‘Kentucky meat shower’? | PopSci Staff | November 11, 2020 | Popular-ScienceAfter the war, Sparks returned to the Southwest and settled in Colorado, where he headed the state National Guard as a brigadier general.
The feisty feminist in me has often warred with the longtime gamer in me.
The Cake Is a Lie: Sexism Isn’t a Boss Gamer Girls Can Beat | Emily V Gordon | July 8, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThat warred-over political geography lie at the heart of man and legend—and the nomadic Apache world.
The Bin Laden of His Day? A New Biography of Geronimo | Marc Wortman | December 5, 2012 | THE DAILY BEASTHusbands and wives warred, ex-spouses sniped, children grew into adults, and partners fell out.
The younger children probably warred against school long before fourteen years of life gave them freedom.
The Leaven in a Great City | Lillian William BettsFor seven long years King Karl and his Franks warred in the peninsula.
With Spurs of Gold | Frances Nimmo GreeneIn seeking to invade Spain, Charlemagne warred against a race from whom Europe had nothing more to fear.
Beacon Lights of History, Volume V | John LordBitter-sweet recollections warred in heart and brain as he watched the beautiful and well-loved panorama.
The Terms of Surrender | Louis TracyAs he proceeded on his way he felt a weight at his heart, and a thousand different ideas warred in his mind.
The Fourth Estate, vol. 2 | Armando Palacio Valds
British Dictionary definitions for war (1 of 2)
/ (wɔː) /
open armed conflict between two or more parties, nations, or states: Related adjectives: belligerent, martial
a particular armed conflict: the 1973 war in the Middle East
the techniques of armed conflict as a study, science, or profession
any conflict or contest: a war of wits; the war against crime
(modifier) of, relating to, resulting from, or characteristic of war: a war hero; war damage; a war story
to have had a good war to have made the most of the opportunities presented to one during wartime
in the wars informal (esp of a child) hurt or knocked about, esp as a result of quarrelling and fighting
(intr) to conduct a war
Origin of war
1British Dictionary definitions for War. (2 of 2)
Warwickshire
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with war
In addition to the idioms beginning with war
- ward off
- war horse
- war of nerves
also see:
- all's fair in love and war
- at war
- been to the wars
- declare war
- tug of war
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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