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Meaning & use

war

noun·Everyday

Last updated

UK/wɔː/
US/wɔːr/

Meanings

  1. nouncountable or uncountable

    A large armed conflict between countries or groups, lasting for a period of time.

    Grammar: Countable for a particular conflict: a war; uncountable for the general idea: war is costly.

    Patterns

    • war with someone
    • war against someone
    • at war

    The war lasted six years.

    Many families lost homes in the war.

    The two countries went to war over the border.

  2. nouncountablefigurative

    A fierce struggle or competition between people or groups.

    Grammar: Figurative, often in compounds: a price war.

    Patterns

    • a war of words
    • a war between A and B

    Two supermarkets started a price war.

    The neighbors were locked in a war of words.

    A turf war broke out between the departments.

  3. nounsingularfigurative

    A determined effort to get rid of something harmful.

    Grammar: Used with on or against: the war on poverty.

    Patterns

    • war on something
    • war against something

    The city declared a war on litter.

    Doctors are waging a war against infection.

    The campaign is a war on waste.

Word forms

pluralwars

Common combinations

declare war
The country declared war on its neighbor.
civil war
The civil war divided families.
at war
The two nations were at war.
win the war
They won the war but lost many people.
war of words
A war of words broke out online.
price war
A price war lowered fuel costs.

Synonyms and how they differ

conflict
Conflict is broader and can mean any disagreement or fighting, large or small.
battle
A battle is a single fight within a war and usually shorter.
warfare
Warfare refers to the methods of fighting, not a specific war.
hostilities
Hostilities is a formal word for acts of fighting, often in news.

Opposites

peacetruce

Word family

warfare noun
the activity of fighting a war
warlike adjective
eager to fight
warring adjective
fighting each other
postwar adjective
after a war
warrior noun
a fighter

Commonly confused: war or wore? war or warn?

war vs wore

Wore is the past tense of wear and sounds the same as war in some accents but has no link in meaning.

war vs warn

Warn means to tell someone of danger and is a different verb.

Practice

The two shops started a price ___, cutting costs again and again to win customers.

Make it your own

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