war of words
noun phrase
: an argument in which people or groups criticize and disagree with each other publicly and repeatedly for usually a long time
Rival groups have engaged in a war of words over the new law.
Examples of war of words in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The group chat that broke Washington has sparked a weeklong war of words between President Donald Trump’s top staff and Jeffrey Goldberg, the liberal editor-in-chief of The Atlantic.
—
Tiana Lowe Doescher, The Washington Examiner, 28 Mar. 2025
But this month, U.S. officials initiated peace talks with Russian negotiators in Saudi Arabia, and a war of words between Trump and Zelenskyy ensued.
—Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 28 Feb. 2025
At the same time, the president has also been engaged in a war of words with Mark Carney, Canada’s new Prime Minister, about Canada becoming the 51st state of the U.S.
—Hersh Shefrin, Forbes, 22 Mar. 2025
What ensued was a war of words with Canada and questions over whether the tariffs would stick, as the U.S.’s northern neighbor threatened to cut off electricity to multiple states and impose a 25 percent surcharge on energy exports.
—Al Weaver, The Hill, 6 Mar. 2025
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Tiana Lowe Doescher, The Washington Examiner, 28 Mar. 2025
But this month, U.S. officials initiated peace talks with Russian negotiators in Saudi Arabia, and a war of words between Trump and Zelenskyy ensued.
—Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 28 Feb. 2025
At the same time, the president has also been engaged in a war of words with Mark Carney, Canada’s new Prime Minister, about Canada becoming the 51st state of the U.S.
—Hersh Shefrin, Forbes, 22 Mar. 2025
What ensued was a war of words with Canada and questions over whether the tariffs would stick, as the U.S.’s northern neighbor threatened to cut off electricity to multiple states and impose a 25 percent surcharge on energy exports.
—Al Weaver, The Hill, 6 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for war of words
Cite this Entry
“War of words.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/war%20of%20words. Accessed 15 Apr. 2025.
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