civil war

noun

plural civil wars

: a war between opposing groups of citizens of the same country

a country on the brink of (a) civil war

—often used in the capitalized names of specific wars

the Spanish Civil War

(American/U.S.) Civil War monuments

Note: The American Civil War, fought 1861–1865 between the United States and 11 southern states that had seceded from it, is also commonly known as the U.S. Civil War, or especially in the U.S. as the War Between the States or simply the Civil War.

Examples of civil war in a Sentence

a region that has had many civil wars

The country is on the brink of civil war.

Recent Examples on the Web

And then, Charles Bethea reports on the people making plans for surviving a civil war. —Clare Malone, The New Yorker, 4 Nov. 2024

Their arrival was like pouring gasoline on a smoldering fire—igniting a brutal fifteen-year civil war that devastated the country. —David Faris, Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2024

Unlike neighboring Arab countries that experienced massive popular uprisings in 2011, Tunisia did not immediately revert to authoritarianism or descend into civil war. —Sarah E. Yerkes, Foreign Affairs, 4 Nov. 2024

Even if Hezbollah were substantially weakened, taking it on would spark a civil war. —Robert F. Worth, The Atlantic, 31 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1533, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

civil war

noun

: a war between opposing groups of citizens of the same country or nation