civil war

noun

plural civil wars

: a war between opposing groups of citizens of the same country

a country on the brink of (a) civil war

—often used in the capitalized names of specific wars

the Spanish Civil War

(American/U.S.) Civil War monuments

Note: The American Civil War, fought 1861–1865 between the United States and 11 southern states that had seceded from it, is also commonly known as the U.S. Civil War, or especially in the U.S. as the War Between the States or simply the Civil War.

Examples of civil war in a Sentence

a region that has had many civil wars

The country is on the brink of civil war.

Recent Examples on the Web

The film, which is co-produced by Matt Damon and Lopez's now ex-husband Ben Affleck, stars Diego Luna as Valentin Arregui, a political prisoner during Argentina's civil war in the 1980s who forms a bond with Luis Molina (Tonatiuh) while imprisoned together. —Rachel Raposas, People.com, 28 Jan. 2025

The other big news to come out of this week besides Robyn’s murder and the Traitors civil war was the Bambi alliance turning on each other. —Dalton Ross, EW.com, 24 Jan. 2025

If that Freudian slip was our cold civil war's Fort Sumter, then Obama's presidency that followed was the extended opening campaign. —Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 24 Jan. 2025

Editors’ Picks How a Tony-Winning Actress Spends Her Sundays Image The Algerian author Kamel Daoud, who currently lives in France, recently won the Prix Goncourt, France’s most prestigious literary prize, for a novel that addressed the complex history of the Algerian civil war. —Richard Fausset, New York Times, 24 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1533, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

civil war

noun

: a war between opposing groups of citizens of the same country or nation