as in war
a a state or period of fighting between groups of people in the same country
a region that has had many civil wars
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of civil war
According to World Bank estimates, more than half of Syria’s population has been internally or externally displaced since the start of the civil war, and anyone returning would need to be reintegrated.
—
Volker Perthes, Foreign Affairs, 24 Jan. 2025
Scholars believe the ruling tipped the country closer to civil war, which broke out in 1861, four years later.
—Lauren Villagran, USA TODAY, 21 Jan. 2025
Only when the country's ethnic communities are given an equal stake in the country's future will there be any chance of peace after decades of civil war.
—Justin Gest, Newsweek, 20 Jan. 2025
Shatila's bloody history In 1982, amid Lebanon's civil war and an Israeli invasion, local militias allied with Israel killed up to 3,500 Palestinian refugees in Shatila and another Palestinian refugee camp called Sabra.
—Lauren Frayer, NPR, 18 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for civil war 
Volker Perthes, Foreign Affairs, 24 Jan. 2025
Scholars believe the ruling tipped the country closer to civil war, which broke out in 1861, four years later.
—Lauren Villagran, USA TODAY, 21 Jan. 2025
Only when the country's ethnic communities are given an equal stake in the country's future will there be any chance of peace after decades of civil war.
—Justin Gest, Newsweek, 20 Jan. 2025
Shatila's bloody history In 1982, amid Lebanon's civil war and an Israeli invasion, local militias allied with Israel killed up to 3,500 Palestinian refugees in Shatila and another Palestinian refugee camp called Sabra.
—Lauren Frayer, NPR, 18 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for civil war
Recent Examples of Synonyms for civil war
Noun
-
In the early days of the war, Israel ordered a mass evacuation of northern Gaza and quickly sealed off the area after ground troops advanced.—
Joel Thayer,
Newsweek,
27 Jan. 2025
-
One such project, Hideouts: The Architecture of Survival, examined nine hiding places used by Jews during the war.—
Natalia Romik / Madę by History,
TIME,
27 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
Over generations, policy makers have created many subclasses of conflict: cold wars, police actions, hybrid wars, cyber wars.—
Phillips Payson O’Brien,
The Atlantic,
13 Jan. 2025
-
Williams is part of a larger cold war, radical vs. radical, that’s stayed mostly in the shadows.—
Joshua Kaplan,
ProPublica,
4 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
But behind Miller's success, a world war was raging.—
Julian Ring,
NPR,
14 Dec. 2024
-
This, more than isolated battles, is what defines a world war.—
Bryce Hoffman,
Forbes,
8 Dec. 2024
Noun
-
Their conflict has killed more than 28,000 people, forced millions to flee their homes and left some families eating grass in a desperate attempt to survive as famine sweeps parts of the country.—
Jon Gambrell,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Jan. 2025
-
Most aggravating is the way the film neatly resolves all of its conflicts for the end.—
Esther Zuckerman,
IndieWire,
26 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
But as Paul starts to meet the prophetic expectations of his most fervent followers, there are signs of a holy war that could have terrible consequences.—
Scott Tobias,
New York Times,
23 Jan. 2025
-
Absolute Dominion takes place In the year 2063 AD, when the world faces catastrophe as zealots and extremists wage a global holy war in the name of spiritual superiority.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
13 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
Israel and Hezbollah have engaged in a limited war since last October, but Israeli forces have significantly escalated the scope of their attacks since the beginning of September in an attempt to force Hezbollah to stop its attacks on northern Israel.—
Mike Brest,
Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government,
30 Sep. 2024
-
In this scenario, which may already be coming to fruition, the meager hope is that the conflict transforms into simply a more limited war.—
Daniel Byman,
Foreign Affairs,
5 Apr. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near civil war
Cite this Entry
“Civil war.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/civil%20war. Accessed 8 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share