war
Forms
- Plural
- wars
- present (v1)
- war
- past (v2)
- warred
- past participle (v3)
- warred
- present participle
- warring
- 3rd person singular
- wars
Definitions
1.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.
- Older men declare war. But it is the youth that must fight and die.
- War is indeed a fearful thing and the more I see it the more dreadful it appears.
- China and the United States are closer than they’ve ever been to a war over Taiwan.
2.A particular conflict of this kind.
- One million people lost their lives in the war.
- World War II ended in 1945.
3.Protracted armed conflict against irregular forces, particularly groups considered terrorists.
- Our war on terror begins with al Qaeda, but it does not end there. It will not end until every terrorist group of global reach has been found, stopped and defeated.
4.Any protracted conflict, particularly
- One million people lost their lives in the war.
- World War II ended in 1945.
1.To engage in conflict (may be followed by "with" to specify the foe).
- In a paradox, language wars against the world.
- This vein of reflection, warring with his inner knowledge that he had been driven by fear and hatred . . ., produced an exhausting whirl in his thoughts.
2.To carry on, as a contest; to wage.
- By God, that man does war honour.
Frequency
Overall
Very common· #276
By learning goal
- Everyday conversation
- Common
- General reading & writing
- Very common
- Academic
- Uncommon
- Literature
- Uncommon
Related words
Etymology
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.