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world war
noun
: a war engaged in by all or most of the principal nations of the world
especially,
World War
: either of two such wars of the first half of the 20th century
Examples of world war in a Sentence
He fought in both World Wars.
The nations were prepared for world war.
Recent Examples on the Web
Katie Hafner: For women in the U.K. between the two world wars, studying chemistry was especially hard.
—Katie Hafner, Scientific American, 24 Oct. 2024
Season 2 is a sweeping love story against a massive world war.
—Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 11 Oct. 2024
The two world wars had ushered in a golden era for physics, thanks to the discipline’s military and industrial applications.
—Yangyang Cheng, NPR, 5 Sep. 2024
Before both world wars, Washington sought neutrality.
—Hans Binnendijk, Foreign Affairs, 13 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for world war
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Word History
First Known Use
1848, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near world war
Cite this Entry
“World war.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/world%20war. Accessed 16 Nov. 2024.
Kids Definition
world war
noun
: a war involving all or most of the chief nations of the world
especially, capitalized both Ws
: either of two such wars of the 20th century
More from Merriam-Webster on world war
Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for world war
Britannica English: Translation of world war for Arabic Speakers
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