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

There have long been differing interests among different ethnic armed groups, which have fought one another before and during the ongoing civil war. —Koh Ewe, TIME, 1 Nov. 2024

This chapter of the cannabis civil war is coming to a close just as Congress is set to go into the lame duck session and as both candidates for President have espoused support for legalization. —Robert Hoban, Forbes, 1 Nov. 2024

Moscow has had success in the past on this front, however, notably playing a significant part in mending their ties with Damascus, which returned to the Arab League last year after being shut out at the onset of the civil war in 2011. —Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2024

Online Talk About ‘Civil War’ Could Inspire Real-World Violence, DHS Warns Cops: WIRED contributor Tess Owens got a look at recent DHS memos warning law enforcement officials across the country that online fantasies obsessing over civil war could lead to real-world violence ahead of the election. —Makena Kelly, WIRED, 24 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