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Meaning & use

wage war

phrase·Academicformal

Last updated

UK/weɪdʒ wɔː/
US/weɪdʒ wɔːr/

Meanings

  1. phrasefixed phrase

    To carry on a war, fighting continuously against an enemy, usually over a long period.

    Grammar: Verb phrase: wage war on or against someone.

    Patterns

    • wage war on someone
    • wage war against someone

    The two nations waged war for nearly a decade.

    The king waged war against his neighbors to expand his territory.

    Rebel groups have been waging war in the mountains for years.

  2. phrasefixed phrasefigurative

    To campaign hard and for a long time against something harmful, such as crime, poverty or disease.

    Grammar: Figurative use with a problem as the target: wage war on poverty.

    Patterns

    • wage war on something

    The government promised to wage war on drug gangs.

    Doctors continue to wage war against antibiotic resistance.

    Residents waged war on litter in their neighborhood.

Word forms

third person singularwages war
past tensewaged war
past participlewaged war
-ing formwaging war

Common combinations

wage war on
The city decided to wage war on rats.
wage war against
The alliance waged war against the empire.
wage a war of words
The two leaders waged a war of words on social media.
wage war on poverty
The charity aims to wage war on poverty.
wage a long war
They waged a long war over control of the river.

Synonyms and how they differ

fight
Fight is plainer and can mean any kind of conflict, whereas wage war is formal and suggests an organized, lasting effort.
conduct
Conduct a war is neutral and focuses on managing it, while wage war highlights aggressive action.
battle
Battle as a verb stresses a struggle against difficulty and is less formal than wage war.
campaign
To campaign against something suggests public pressure and speeches, not fighting.

Opposites

make peacesurrender

Word family

war noun
armed conflict between groups or countries
warfare noun
the activity or methods of fighting
warring adjective
fighting each other
warlike adjective
eager for or ready for war

Commonly confused: wage war or wage vs wages?

wage war vs wage vs wages

Wages are money paid for work, and the verb wage means to carry on a war or campaign; the two meanings are unrelated.

Practice

Which verb completes the sentence correctly? The two countries ___ war for twelve years.

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