as in war
a a state or period of fighting between groups of people in the same country
a region that has had many civil wars
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Recent Examples of civil war
One of these cases involved a group of men the government tried to send to South Sudan, a nation on the brink of civil war; a lower court judge kept blocking their removal, but the administration is already asking the high court to step in again and allow it.
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New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 25 June 2025
Sudan — one of the world’s poorest nations even before the start of the conflict — has been gripped by a civil war that has led to the world’s first famine declaration in years, with more than 20 million remaining in desperate need of food.
—Jeronimo Gonzalez, semafor.com, 25 June 2025
The group formed in the '80s during Lebanon's civil war to fight against two Israeli invasions of Lebanese territory, according to the Council on Foreign Relations.
—Natalie Neysa Alund, USA Today, 24 June 2025
South Sudan endured a bloody years-long civil war shortly after gaining independence in 2011, and the United Nations warns violence has escalated in recent months.
—June 23, CBS News, 23 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for civil war
New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 25 June 2025
Sudan — one of the world’s poorest nations even before the start of the conflict — has been gripped by a civil war that has led to the world’s first famine declaration in years, with more than 20 million remaining in desperate need of food.
—Jeronimo Gonzalez, semafor.com, 25 June 2025
The group formed in the '80s during Lebanon's civil war to fight against two Israeli invasions of Lebanese territory, according to the Council on Foreign Relations.
—Natalie Neysa Alund, USA Today, 24 June 2025
South Sudan endured a bloody years-long civil war shortly after gaining independence in 2011, and the United Nations warns violence has escalated in recent months.
—June 23, CBS News, 23 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for civil war
Recent Examples of Synonyms for civil war
Noun
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Culiacan, which has around 1 million residents and is the capital of western Mexico's Sinaloa state, has been wrought by a war for control between two rival drug trafficking groups of the Sinaloa cartel – Los Chapitos and La Mayiza.—
Sophia Compton,
FOXNews.com,
1 July 2025
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Iran Offer The flare-up between India and Pakistan has been overshadowed globally by the war between Israel and Iran, with the United States also joining strikes against Tehran's nuclear program.—
Jennifer Cunningham,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 July 2025
Noun
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New York has a perverse way of amplifying a dispute over a half-acre lot into a protracted cold war.—
Justin Davidson,
Curbed,
23 June 2025
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In addition, there are at least two notable cold wars, between the U.S. and China, and between the U.S. and Iran.—
John Dorfman,
Forbes.com,
2 June 2025
Noun
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In both world wars, the key to victory was unbeatable stamina.—
Lawrence D. Freedman,
Foreign Affairs,
14 Apr. 2025
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Five years was serious business, the length of world wars and Soviet economic plans.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 June 2025
Noun
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During the recent conflict, the Israeli Air Force demonstrated an impressive capability to reach targets deep inside Iran while relying on its aged Boeing 707 tankers for refueling its fighter jets.—
Paul Iddon,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2025
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Despite the flare-up, Wedbush technology analyst Dan Ives expects the conflict between Musk and Mr. Trump to die down moving forward.—
Anne Marie D. Lee,
CBS News,
1 July 2025
Noun
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Many Russians will come to believe that Russia is fighting a holy war against the West and NATO, and that Western sanctions are designed to make ordinary Russians suffer.—
Maxim Mironov,
Foreign Affairs,
11 Mar. 2022
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In 1992, the government pressured Muslim clerics to declare a holy war against Nuba who opposed the regime.—
Nicolas Niarchos,
New Yorker,
19 May 2025
Noun
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In contrast, China has made targeted investments intended to give it an advantage in a quick, limited war, while keeping its overall defense spending relatively modest: Beijing’s defense spending has risen from five percent of U.S. levels in 1995 to 32 percent in 2017.—
Oriana Skylar Mastro,
Foreign Affairs,
20 May 2025
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And as always, there’s no guarantee that a limited war would stay limited.—
Joshua Keating,
Vox,
7 Dec. 2018
Cite this Entry
“Civil war.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/civil%20war. Accessed 11 Jul. 2025.
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