Meaning of war in English

war

noun [ C or U ]

/wɔːr/ us

/wɔːr/

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armed fighting between two or more countries or groups, or a particular example of this:

nuclear war

a war film/grave/hero/poet

go to war If this country goes to (= starts to fight in a) war we will have to face the fact that many people will die.

declare war

declare war on Britain and France declared war on Germany in 1939 as a result of the invasion of Poland.

war breaks out War broke out between the two countries after a border dispute.

at war They've been at war for the last five years.

He died in the First World War/the Vietnam war.

war of attrition

a war that is fought over a long period and only ends when one side has neither the soldiers and equipment nor the determination left to continue fighting:

The war of attrition between the two countries has lasted for decades now.

war of nerves

a situation, often before a competition or battle, in which each opposing side attempts to frighten or discourage the other by making threats or by showing how strong it is:

Protestors are waging a war of nerves with the police.

any situation in which there is strong competition between opposing sides or a great fight against something harmful:

price war The past few months have witnessed a price war between leading supermarkets.

wage war on/against The president vowed to wage war on/against terrorism.

war on For thirty years, the war on drugs has used up enormous human and financial resources.

More examplesFewer examples

The war has claimed thousands of lives.
The prime minister is to meet his European counterparts to discuss the war against drugs.
America declared war on Japan in 1941.
There is likely to be civil war if the region tries to secede from the south.
The number of casualties was appallingly high in both wars.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

War

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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

Fighting

Arguments & disagreements

Idioms

be in the wars

war clouds are gathering

(Definition of war from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

war | American Dictionary

war

noun [ C/U ]

/wɔr/

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armed fighting between two or more countries or groups, or a particular example of such fighting:

[ C ] Can any country fight two wars at the same time?

[ U ] War is something to avoid.

[ U ] Several nations were at war.

A war can also be any situation in which there is strong competition between opposing sides or a joint effort against something harmful:

[ C ] Airlines engage in fare wars to attract new customers.

[ U ] It sometimes seems like the war on cancer has stalled.

(Definition of war from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

war | Business English

war

noun [ C ]

COMMERCE, ECONOMICS

/wɔːr/ us

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a situation in which businesses, countries, etc. compete against each other very strongly:

In the supermarket war, Asda slashed the price of petrol.

at war The banks are at war for each other's business accounts.

lose/wage/win a war The EU is in danger of losing the propaganda war.

See also

bidding war
price war
sales war
trade war

(Definition of war from the Cambridge Business English Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

What is the pronunciation of war?

Translations of war

in Chinese (Traditional)

（國家或群體之間的）戰爭, 爭奪，競爭…

in Chinese (Simplified)

（国家或群体之间的）战争, 争夺，竞争…

in Spanish

guerra, lucha por el control, guerra [feminine…

in Portuguese

guerra, guerra [feminine]…

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युध्द, संग्राम करणे…

戦争, 戦争（せんそう）, 戦（たたか）い…

harp, savaş, kavga…

guerre [feminine], lutte [feminine], (de) guerre…

guerra…

oorlog, oorlog voeren…

இரண்டு அல்லது அதற்கு மேற்பட்ட நாடுகள் அல்லது குழுக்களுக்கு இடையில் ஆயுத சண்டை, அல்லது இதற்கு ஒரு குறிப்பிட்ட எடுத்துக்காட்டு, எதிரெதிர்த் தரப்புகளுக்கு இடையில் வலுவான போட்டி அல்லது தீங்கு விளைவிக்கும் ஒன்றுக்கு எதிராக ஒரு பெரிய போராட்டம் இருக்கும் எந்தவொரு சூழ்நிலையும்…

युद्ध, बड़ी लड़ाई…

યુદ્ધ, લડાઈ, લડત…

krig, krigs-, være i krig…

krig, kriga, föra krig mot…

peperangan, berperang…

der Krieg, Kriegs-…, sich bekriegen…