wartime

[ wawr-tahym ]

/ ˈwɔrˌtaɪm /

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noun

a time or period of war: Strict travel regulations apply only in wartime.

adjective

caused by, characteristic of, or occurring during war: wartime shortages.

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QUIZ YOURSELF ON "WAS" VS. "WERE"!

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“Was” is used for the indicative past tense of “to be,” and “were” is only used for the subjunctive past tense.

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Origin of wartime

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at war¹, time

Words nearby wartime

Warta, Wartburg, wart cress, Warthin's tumor, warthog, wartime, Warton, warts and all, wart snake, warty, warty dyskeratoma

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use wartime in a sentence

This is not lost on their commander, Rama (Shani Klein), an aspiring military careerist who looks down on frivolity in wartime.
‘Zero Motivation’: the Funny Side of the IDF|Melissa Leon|December 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
As his later wartime record would show, Jackson was extremely competent in the many skills required of a commanding general.
Stonewall Jackson, VMI’s Most Embattled Professor|S. C. Gwynne|November 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It would inject a threat of accountability into power, and upend the impunity wartime leaders had operated under for years.
The Man Who Invented the Word ‘Genocide’|Nina Strochlic|November 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Schwend denied any current counterfeiting activity, but divulged his wartime role to the Peruvians.
On the Trail of Nazi Counterfeiters|Dr. Kevin C. Ruffner|September 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Wartime shortages, coupled with imperfections, limited the production of British currency.
On the Trail of Nazi Counterfeiters|Dr. Kevin C. Ruffner|September 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The wartime pressing needs of the industrial enterprises have caused the barriers to be removed.
Negro Migration during the War|Emmett J. Scott
In Wallace's latest story a wartime setting is given to the fascinating Labrador stage.
The Passion for Life|Joseph Hocking
In wartime, bars are let down, no one can look with disfavor on the factories making the weapons.
Bear Trap|Alan Edward Nourse
The Germans can do what they like in wartime, and these were some of the things they liked.
In the Line of Battle|Various
Life in wartime in a country where the war is consists largely in getting used to things that are abnormal and unusual.
The Glory of The Coming|Irvin S. Cobb

British Dictionary definitions for wartime

wartime

/ (ˈwɔːˌtaɪm) /

noun

a period or time of war
(as modifier)wartime conditions

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