war of words
noun phrase
: an argument in which people or groups criticize and disagree with each other publicly and repeatedly for usually a long time
Rival groups have engaged in a war of words over the new law.
Examples of war of words in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Even before Friday’s announcement, the war of words had intensified.
—
Jessica Mathews, Fortune, 13 Oct. 2024
For many, the track was one more swing at Drake, whom he’s had a war of words with since April.
—Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 16 Sep. 2024
The pair have been engaged in a war of words for years now, with Kimmel recently bringing his wife Molly McNearney into their feud, too.
—EW.com, 26 Sep. 2024
Zoom out: Zelensky and former President Trump are engaged in an increasingly heated war of words, and Trump's allies are not jumping to his defense.
—Andrew Solender, Axios, 26 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for war of words 
Jessica Mathews, Fortune, 13 Oct. 2024
For many, the track was one more swing at Drake, whom he’s had a war of words with since April.
—Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 16 Sep. 2024
The pair have been engaged in a war of words for years now, with Kimmel recently bringing his wife Molly McNearney into their feud, too.
—EW.com, 26 Sep. 2024
Zoom out: Zelensky and former President Trump are engaged in an increasingly heated war of words, and Trump's allies are not jumping to his defense.
—Andrew Solender, Axios, 26 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for war of words
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'war of words.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near war of words
Cite this Entry
“War of words.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/war%20of%20words. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share