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world war
noun
: a war engaged in by all or most of the principal nations of the world
especially,
World War
: either of two such wars of the first half of the 20th century
Examples of world war in a Sentence
He fought in both World Wars.
The nations were prepared for world war.
Recent Examples on the Web
Katie Hafner: For women in the U.K. between the two world wars, studying chemistry was especially hard.
—Katie Hafner, Scientific American, 24 Oct. 2024
Season 2 is a sweeping love story against a massive world war.
—Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 11 Oct. 2024
The two world wars had ushered in a golden era for physics, thanks to the discipline’s military and industrial applications.
—Yangyang Cheng, NPR, 5 Sep. 2024
Before both world wars, Washington sought neutrality.
—Hans Binnendijk, Foreign Affairs, 13 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for world war
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'world war.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1848, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near world war
Cite this Entry
“World war.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/world%20war. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.
Kids Definition
world war
noun
: a war involving all or most of the chief nations of the world
especially, capitalized both Ws
: either of two such wars of the 20th century
More from Merriam-Webster on world war
Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for world war
Britannica English: Translation of world war for Arabic Speakers
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