war Meaning & Definition
What Does War Mean?
War is used as a symbol meaning ISO 639-2 & ISO 639-3 language code for Waray-Waray. As a noun, it means Organized, large-scale, armed conflict between countries or between national, ethnic, or other sizeable groups, usually but not always involving active engagement of military forces.(Can we clean up this sense?). As a verb, it means To engage in conflict (may be followed by "with" to specify the foe).
Word Facts for War
| Part of speech | symbol, noun, verb |
|---|---|
| Pronunciation | //wɔː// |
| Syllables | 1 |
| Synonyms | warfare, state of war and fight |
| Antonyms | peace and make peace |
| Plural | wars |
| Verb forms | wars, warring, warred |
War Definition (Symbol)
- ISO 639-2 & ISO 639-3 language code for Waray-Waray.
War as a Noun
- Organized, large-scale, armed conflict between countries or between national, ethnic, or other sizeable groups, usually but not always involving active engagement of military forces.(Can we clean up this sense?)
War is merely the continuation of policy by other means; War is hell
- A particular conflict of this kind.
a war of succession... a war of attrition... the Cold War... World War III...
- Protracted armed conflict against irregular forces, sometimes those considered terrorists.
the Great Emu War... the Global War on Terrorism...
- Protracted state or state-sponsored political violence against dissidents.
the Dirty War...
- Any protracted conflict, particularly
A sustained campaign against a social problem, idea, set of values, etc.
the War on Poverty... the War on Drugs... the War on Christmas...
- A sustained campaign against a social problem, idea, set of values, etc.
the War on Poverty... the War on Drugs... the War on Christmas...
- A protracted instance of fierce competition in trade.
price wars... Cola Wars... format wars...
- A protracted struggle between rival organizations for control of a particular institution.
FISA–FOCA war...
- A prolonged conflict between two groups of organized criminals, usually over organizational or territorial control.
turf war... gang war... Castellammarese War...
- An argument between two or more people with opposing opinions on a topic or issue.
flame war... edit war...
- An assembly of weapons; instruments of war.
- Armed forces.
- Any of a family of card games where all cards are dealt at the beginning of play and players attempt to capture them all, typically involving no skill and only serving to kill time.
War as a Verb
- To engage in conflict (may be followed by "with" to specify the foe).
- To carry on, as a contest; to wage.
Noun
- Organized, large-scale, armed conflict between countries or between national, ethnic, or other sizeable groups, usually involving the engagement of military forces.
The war was largely between Sunni and Shia militants.
- (by extension) Any conflict, or anything resembling a conflict.
You look like you've been through the wars.
- Instruments of war.
- A particular card game for two players, notable for having its outcome predetermined by how the cards are dealt.
Synonyms of War
War synonyms and antonyms →Antonyms of War
War in a Sentence
War is merely the continuation of policy by other means; War is hell
a war of succession... a war of attrition... the Cold War... World War III...
the Great Emu War... the Global War on Terrorism...
the Dirty War...
the War on Poverty... the War on Drugs... the War on Christmas...
price wars... Cola Wars... format wars...
FISA–FOCA war...
turf war... gang war... Castellammarese War...
flame war... edit war...
The war was largely between Sunni and Shia militants.
You look like you've been through the wars.
Word Forms & Grammar
war (countable and uncountable, plural wars)
war (third-person singular simple present wars, present participle warring, simple past and past participle warred)
Words That Rhyme With War
Origin of War
Origin 1: Inherited from Middle English werre, from Late Old English werre / wyrre (“armed conflict”), from Anglo-Norman and Old Northern French guerre / werre (compare modern French guerre), from Medieval Latin werra, from Frankish *werʀu (“confusion; quarrel”), from Proto-Indo-European *wers- (“to mix up, confuse, beat, thresh”). Gradually displaced native Old English beadu, hild, ġewinn, orleġe, wīġ, and many others as the general term for "war" during the Middle English period.
Origin 2: Related to Old High German werra (“confusion, strife, quarrel”) and German verwirren (“to confuse”), but not to Wehr (“defense”). Also related to Old Saxon werran (“to confuse, perplex”), Dutch war (“confusion, disarray”), West Frisian war (“struggle, resistance, defense, effort, exertion, activity”), and Romance terms borrowed from Germanic, such as Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish guerra (“war”). Not likely related to worse or wurst.
War Pronunciation
The standard pronunciation of war is //wɔː//, spoken in 1 syllable.
War: Your Questions Answered
Is war a symbol or a noun?
War is mainly used as a symbol, but it can also be used as a noun and a verb.
What is another word for war?
Words with a similar meaning to war include warfare, state of war and fight. See the full list of war synonyms and antonyms.
What is the opposite of war?
The opposite of war can be expressed with words like peace and make peace.
What is the plural of war?
The plural of war is wars.
What is the past tense of war?
The past tense of war is warred. The present participle is warring.