casus belli
noun
ca·sus bel·li
ˈkä-səs-ˈbe-ˌlē 
ˈkā-səs-ˈbe-ˌlī
ˈkā-səs-ˈbe-ˌlī
plural casus belli
: an event or action that justifies or allegedly justifies a war or conflict
Examples of casus belli in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
But what Putin can live with today may become a casus belli tomorrow.
—
George Beebe, TIME, 1 July 2024
Baghdad also awkwardly cited the PKK’s presence in Kirkuk as casus belli for conflict, securing Ankara’s support for the operation.
—Behnam Ben Taleblu, Foreign Affairs, 8 Nov. 2017
Debate over this proposal has so far been scant and ignored the casus belli.
—Christian Schneider, National Review, 21 Dec. 2023
The outcome of this personal and political tragedy was war, as Suppiluliuma used this event as a casus belli for an invasion which rolled back Egypt's dominion in the Levant and expanded the Hittite Empire.
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 6 July 2010
In the run-up to the Iraq War, diplomacy and weapons inspections became a means to an end: building a casus belli.
—Foreign Affairs, 18 Oct. 2012
State media claimed without providing any evidence that the hospital was being used as a base for the Azov Battalion, a small far-right nationalist group often used as casus belli by Putin for false claims that the Ukrainian government is rife with Nazis.
—Michael Biesecker, Erika Kinetz, Beatrice Dupuy, Anchorage Daily News, 26 Mar. 2022
In each instance, the casus belli is complicated stuff.
—Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2022
Critical voices challenging Putin’s casus belli and highlighting Russia’s isolation, the atrocities committed daily by Russian troops and the disastrous costs of the conflict for Russia have been all but silenced.
—Daniel Beer, Washington Post, 29 Sep. 2022
George Beebe, TIME, 1 July 2024
Baghdad also awkwardly cited the PKK’s presence in Kirkuk as casus belli for conflict, securing Ankara’s support for the operation.
—Behnam Ben Taleblu, Foreign Affairs, 8 Nov. 2017
Debate over this proposal has so far been scant and ignored the casus belli.
—Christian Schneider, National Review, 21 Dec. 2023
The outcome of this personal and political tragedy was war, as Suppiluliuma used this event as a casus belli for an invasion which rolled back Egypt's dominion in the Levant and expanded the Hittite Empire.
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 6 July 2010
In the run-up to the Iraq War, diplomacy and weapons inspections became a means to an end: building a casus belli.
—Foreign Affairs, 18 Oct. 2012
State media claimed without providing any evidence that the hospital was being used as a base for the Azov Battalion, a small far-right nationalist group often used as casus belli by Putin for false claims that the Ukrainian government is rife with Nazis.
—Michael Biesecker, Erika Kinetz, Beatrice Dupuy, Anchorage Daily News, 26 Mar. 2022
In each instance, the casus belli is complicated stuff.
—Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2022
Critical voices challenging Putin’s casus belli and highlighting Russia’s isolation, the atrocities committed daily by Russian troops and the disastrous costs of the conflict for Russia have been all but silenced.
—Daniel Beer, Washington Post, 29 Sep. 2022
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'casus belli.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Casus belli.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/casus%20belli. Accessed 7 Jul. 2024.
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