War (noun) Definition, Meaning & Examples

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noun
  1. a conflict carried on by force of arms, as between nations or between parties within a nation; warfare, as by land, sea, or air.
  2. a state or period of armed hostility or active military operations: The two nations were at war with each other.
  3. a contest carried on by force of arms, as in a series of battles or campaigns: the War of 1812.
  4. armed fighting, as a science, profession, activity, or art; methods or principles of waging armed conflict: War is the soldier's business.
  5. active hostility or contention; conflict; contest: a war of words.
  6. 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.
  7. a struggle to achieve a goal: the war on cancer;a war against poverty;a war for hearts and minds.
  8. 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.
  9. a battle.
verb (used without object), warred, war·ring.
  1. to make or carry on war; fight: to war with a neighboring nation.
  2. to carry on active hostility or contention: Throughout her life she warred with sin and corruption.
  3. to be in conflict or in a state of strong opposition: The temptation warred with his conscience.
adjective
  1. of, belonging to, used in, or due to war: war preparations; war hysteria.
adjective, adverb Scot. and North England.
  1. worse.
abbreviation
  1. warrant.
noun
  1. open armed conflict between two or more parties, nations, or states
  2. a particular armed conflict
  3. the techniques of armed conflict as a study, science, or profession
  4. any conflict or contest
  5. of, relating to, resulting from, or characteristic of war
  6. to have made the most of the opportunities presented to one during wartime
  7. (esp of a child) hurt or knocked about, esp as a result of quarrelling and fighting
verb wars, warring or warred
  1. to conduct a war
abbreviation for
  1. Warwickshire
War (noun) Definition, Meaning & Examples

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