Meaning & use
Punic War
Last updated
Meaning
proper nouncountable
One of three conflicts between Rome and the North African city of Carthage, fought between 264 and 146 BCE.
Grammar: Usually numbered and plural when general: the three Punic Wars; the Second Punic War.
Patterns
- the First Punic War
- the Punic Wars
Hannibal crossed the Alps during the Second Punic War.
The Third Punic War ended with the destruction of Carthage.
Students often study the Punic Wars to understand how Rome became a Mediterranean power.
Word forms
| plural | Punic Wars |
|---|
Common combinations
- First Punic War
- The First Punic War was fought largely at sea.
- Second Punic War
- Hannibal is best known for the Second Punic War.
- Third Punic War
- The Third Punic War lasted only a few years.
- during the Punic Wars
- Rome built a large fleet during the Punic Wars.
Word family
- Punic adjective
- relating to ancient Carthage
- Carthaginian adjective
- relating to Carthage
- Phoenician adjective
- relating to the seafaring people from whom Carthaginians descended
Commonly confused: Punic War or Peloponnesian War?
Punic War vs Peloponnesian War
The Peloponnesian War was fought between Athens and Sparta, not Rome and Carthage.
Practice
Which general is most closely linked with the Second Punic War?
Choose one answer.
Hannibal of Carthage led an army across the Alps against Rome. Caesar lived later, and the others were Greek or Macedonian.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “Punic War”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.