holy war
noun
: a war or violent campaign waged often by religious extremists for what is considered to be a holy purpose
Examples of holy war in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
His speech Sunday was steeped in the language of Islamic holy war.
—
Dominique Soguel, The Christian Science Monitor, 9 Dec. 2024
The Justice Department said Aman wanted to join ISIS to engage in a holy war, or jihad, in Syria.
—Krystal Nurse, USA TODAY, 7 Nov. 2024
The Declaration in Script and Print: A Visual History of America’s Founding Document
by John Bidwell
Rozina Ali
God’s Directive
After the September 11 attacks, evangelical American missionaries followed military tanks into Afghanistan and Iraq to convert Muslims as part of a holy war.
—The New York Review of Books, 1 Nov. 2024
With Gamestop, this eventually wrapped back around into something that’s part cult, part get-rich-quick scheme, part righteous holy war against investors, and part cyberpunk cautionary tale.
—Amber Dasilva / Jalopnik, Quartz, 11 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for holy war 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Dominique Soguel, The Christian Science Monitor, 9 Dec. 2024
The Justice Department said Aman wanted to join ISIS to engage in a holy war, or jihad, in Syria.
—Krystal Nurse, USA TODAY, 7 Nov. 2024
The Declaration in Script and Print: A Visual History of America’s Founding Document
by John Bidwell
Rozina Ali
God’s Directive
After the September 11 attacks, evangelical American missionaries followed military tanks into Afghanistan and Iraq to convert Muslims as part of a holy war.
—The New York Review of Books, 1 Nov. 2024
With Gamestop, this eventually wrapped back around into something that’s part cult, part get-rich-quick scheme, part righteous holy war against investors, and part cyberpunk cautionary tale.
—Amber Dasilva / Jalopnik, Quartz, 11 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for holy war
Dictionary Entries Near holy war
Cite this Entry
“Holy war.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/holy%20war. Accessed 31 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share