1
: military operations between enemies : hostilities, war
also
: an activity undertaken by a political unit (such as a nation) to weaken or destroy another
economic warfare
2
: struggle between competing entities : conflict
see also biological warfare, chemical warfare, cyber warfare, germ warfare, trench warfare
Synonyms
Examples of warfare in a Sentence
that troubled household seems to be almost constantly in a state of warfare
companies engaged in constant warfare for dominance in the market for smart phones and tablets
Recent Examples on the Web
Author of 'Swarm Troopers: How small drones will conquer the world,' following cutting-edge military technology in general and the drone warfare revolution in particular.
—
David Hambling, Forbes, 20 Sep. 2024
Ukrainian forces leveraged operational surprise and maneuver warfare to advance roughly 28 kilometers (17.4 miles) into Kursk Oblast within the first week of the incursion.
—Stephen J. Beard, USA TODAY, 19 Sep. 2024
About 10 years ago, the molecular geneticist Hailing Jin (opens a new tab) and her lab at the University of California, Riverside discovered that two organisms from different kingdoms — a plant and a fungus — exchange RNA as a form of warfare.
—Quanta Magazine, 16 Sep. 2024
Thirty-eight of the drones were shot down, three left Ukrainian airspace and three more were lost over Ukrainian territory, likely due to electronic warfare measures, the air force said.
—David Brennan, ABC News, 10 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for warfare 
David Hambling, Forbes, 20 Sep. 2024
Ukrainian forces leveraged operational surprise and maneuver warfare to advance roughly 28 kilometers (17.4 miles) into Kursk Oblast within the first week of the incursion.
—Stephen J. Beard, USA TODAY, 19 Sep. 2024
About 10 years ago, the molecular geneticist Hailing Jin (opens a new tab) and her lab at the University of California, Riverside discovered that two organisms from different kingdoms — a plant and a fungus — exchange RNA as a form of warfare.
—Quanta Magazine, 16 Sep. 2024
Thirty-eight of the drones were shot down, three left Ukrainian airspace and three more were lost over Ukrainian territory, likely due to electronic warfare measures, the air force said.
—David Brennan, ABC News, 10 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for warfare
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'warfare.' 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 warfare
Cite this Entry
“Warfare.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/warfare. Accessed 1 Oct. 2024.
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warfare
noun
war·fare
ˈwȯr-ˌfa(ə)r 
-ˌfe(ə)r
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