1
as in hostilities
a state of armed violent struggle between states, nations, or groups
the war was the result of ethnic tensions that had been building in the region for decades
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2
as in conflict
a lack of agreement or harmony
the siblings always seemed to be at war with one another
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3
as in battle
an earnest effort for superiority or victory over another
only the latest round in the never-ending class war
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as in to fight
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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of war
Stephan Pechdimaldji, Newsweek, 15 Dec. 2024
As Assad fell, Israeli tanks and troops crossed into Syria and seized a hundred and fifty square miles of the Golan Heights, a demilitarized zone patrolled by the U.N. since 1974, as part of a U.S.-brokered ceasefire after the last war between Israel and Syria.
—Robin Wright, The New Yorker, 15 Dec. 2024
Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 5 Dec. 2024
That violence between warring Sunni and Shia Muslim factions was halted with an uneasy truce Sunday, though reports of skirmishes continued to emerge from the country’s often-unruly, mountainous northwest.
—Mushtaq Yusufzai, NBC News, 25 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for war 
Noun
As of August, Ukraine's death rate was triple that of the birth rate, as the war with Russia has taken its toll.
—Stephan Pechdimaldji, Newsweek, 15 Dec. 2024
As Assad fell, Israeli tanks and troops crossed into Syria and seized a hundred and fifty square miles of the Golan Heights, a demilitarized zone patrolled by the U.N. since 1974, as part of a U.S.-brokered ceasefire after the last war between Israel and Syria.
—Robin Wright, The New Yorker, 15 Dec. 2024
Verb
But more important, the global picture that this Austrian city brings to its vast array of events demonstrates how great artists from all parts of a warring world can practice cultural diplomacy on an exalted level.
—Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 5 Dec. 2024
That violence between warring Sunni and Shia Muslim factions was halted with an uneasy truce Sunday, though reports of skirmishes continued to emerge from the country’s often-unruly, mountainous northwest.
—Mushtaq Yusufzai, NBC News, 25 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for war
Recent Examples of Synonyms for war
Noun
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Rebels used that vacuum to advance in Syria, and their calculation paid off; an offensive that might have led to another months-long eruption in hostilities instead took days, ending with a march into the capital that was met with little resistance.Rob Picheta, CNN, 9 Dec. 2024
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Diplomacy in Doha The foreign ministers of Iran, Russia and Turkey, meeting in Qatar, called for an end to the hostilities.BASSEM MROUE and ZEINA KARAM, The Christian Science Monitor, 7 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Congo’s President Felix Tshisekedi and Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame were set to meet Sunday in Angola, which has been mediating the conflict to put an end to a decades-long conflict in eastern Congo between the Congolese army and M23 rebel group, which is allegedly backed by Rwanda.Justin Kabumba, Los Angeles Times, 15 Dec. 2024
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Having finished up the Eras Tour on December 8, Swift does not appear to have any scheduling conflicts that would keep her from attending today's game in Cleveland, Ohio.Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 15 Dec. 2024
Noun
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His success at the battle paved the way for subsequent victories that would eventually lead to the downfall of the Persian Achaemenid Empire.Newsweek, Newsweek, 21 Dec. 2024
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Detroit has lost its cavalry commander from the Last Great Newspaper War, the all-out mid-1980s battle for circulation in the last market outside New York where two newspapers still sold more than 650,000 copies a day.Tim Kiska, Detroit Free Press, 21 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Yet the film won’t fight its way out of the red for Paramount, which spent more than $250 million to return to the arena.Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 22 Dec. 2024
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But this close brush with death symbolized both Trump's amazing comeback from the debacle of the 2020 election and its aftermath and the fighting spirit that led to an Electoral College and popular vote victory in November 2024.Gord Magill, Newsweek, 22 Dec. 2024
Noun
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While a tie in a national election might cause a constitutional meltdown — and who knows what kind of civil strife — the officials of this small town north of Eureka had a simple solution: pick a name from a box.Daniel Miller, Los Angeles Times, 13 Dec. 2024
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Argentina’s retirees are perhaps the most potent symbol of the strife inflicted by Mr. Milei’s fiscal shock.Isabel Debre, The Christian Science Monitor, 10 Dec. 2024
Noun
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After years of rivalry and a stint in a psychiatric ward, Sharp sets out to get revenge on Ashton for stealing her fiancé, while Ashton seeks the secret to lasting youth.Emily Burns, WWD, 17 Dec. 2024
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Macchio returned as Daniel in the TV series Cobra Kai, where his rivalry with longtime opponent Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) is reignited 35 years later.Jen Juneau, People.com, 17 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Rogan then contended that multiple factors have affected Trump’s legal fight, including his victory in the presidential election against Vice President Kamala Harris, which prompted the cases to be dropped.Asher Notheis, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 19 Dec. 2024
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The 15-count complaint contends that Teeter should not have released the police dog into the vehicle Alexander-Garcia was allegedly trying to steal and should not have pursued him on foot or jumped into the car.Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 19 Dec. 2024
Noun
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The two leaders have alternated between strategic alignment and open discord, with McConnell distancing himself following the January 6, 2021, Capitol riots.Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 17 Dec. 2024
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There’s discord and violence — at Poppy’s school, out in London, even during her driving lessons with the ornery, proto–men’s rights advocate Scott (Eddie Marsan).Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 9 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near war
Cite this Entry
“War.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/war. Accessed 26 Dec. 2024.
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