Wars of the Roses

Save This Word!

noun English History.

the civil struggle between the royal house of Lancaster, whose emblem was a red rose, and the royal house of York, whose emblem was a white rose, beginning in 1455 and ending with the accession of Henry VII in 1485 and the union of the two houses.

QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!

Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

who

whom

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Words nearby Wars of the Roses

Warsaw Convention, Warsaw Pact, Warsaw Treaty Organization, warship, warsle, Wars of the Roses, war story, war surplus, Warszawa, wart, Warta

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use Wars of the Roses in a sentence

France 24 is providing live, round-the-clock coverage of both scenes as they progress.
LIVE Coverage of the Paris Terror Attacks||January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Sands was involved in a scandalous-for-the-time romance with the carpenter and there were rumors she was pregnant with his child.
New York’s Most Tragic Ghost Loves Minimalist Swedish Fashion|Nina Strochlic|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Three on-the-record stories from a family: a mother and her daughters who came from Phoenix.
I Tried to Warn You About Sleazy Billionaire Jeffrey Epstein in 2003|Vicky Ward|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
I just recently rewatched all six Star Wars movies the other day… Oh wow, from the beginning?
Patton Oswalt on Fighting Conservatives With Satire|William O’Connor|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST

Are you excited, nervous, afraid, all of the above for the new Star Wars films?
Patton Oswalt on Fighting Conservatives With Satire|William O’Connor|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Sleek finds it far harder work than fortune-making; but he pursues his Will-o'-the-Wisp with untiring energy.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills
Mary is fair as the morning dew— Cheeks of roses and ribbons of blue!
Boys and Girls Bookshelf; a Practical Plan of Character Building, Volume I (of 17)|Various
That poor, pretty creature, starving, in her charming pink dress and hat of roses.
Rosemary in Search of a Father|C. N. Williamson
He had thought what it would be like to be a rich man, and bring a certain girl here for a moon of honey and roses.
Rosemary in Search of a Father|C. N. Williamson
She opened the door of a square room with large roses on the white wall-paper, and fine old mahogany furniture.
Ancestors|Gertrude Atherton

British Dictionary definitions for Wars of the Roses

Wars of the Roses

pl n

the conflicts in England (1455–85) centred on the struggle for the throne between the house of York (symbolized by the white rose) and the house of Lancaster (of which one badge was the red rose)

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