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

And together with the established Native, Black, Latino and Anglo populations, these new Americans and their descendants helped the United States develop a booming industrial economy and win two world wars. —Marcela Valdes, New York Times, 18 Jan. 2025

The imperial and hegemonic orders of the past were killed off in the twentieth century by the two world wars. —Foreign Affairs, 7 Jan. 2025

Because manganese is important in machinery production, demand for manganese ore was considerably higher during both world wars. —arkansasonline.com, 30 Nov. 2024

Throughout the season, Kate attempts to prevent a world war from erupting as the British seek to find out who is responsible for the attack. —Lynsey Eidell, People.com, 31 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1848, in the meaning defined above

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