1
as in hostilities
a state of armed violent struggle between states, nations, or groups
the war was the result of ethnic tensions that had been building in the region for decades
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in conflict
a lack of agreement or harmony
the siblings always seemed to be at war with one another
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3
as in battle
an earnest effort for superiority or victory over another
only the latest round in the never-ending class war
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as in to fight
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of war
Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 26 Jan. 2025
Some Israel officials had raised the idea early in the war.
—Will Weissert, Chicago Tribune, 26 Jan. 2025
Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Dec. 2024
Reuters — At least 127 people, mostly civilians, were killed in Sudan on Monday and Tuesday by barrel bombs and shelling from the warring sides, rights activists said.
—Reuters, CNN, 11 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for war 
Noun
Through observing how actors, makeup artists, set and prop designers make a living by working in this 24/7 simulation, Gates shows the ease with which ordinary people contribute to the nation’s war machine.
—Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 26 Jan. 2025
Some Israel officials had raised the idea early in the war.
—Will Weissert, Chicago Tribune, 26 Jan. 2025
Verb
It wasn’t shot down—a promising sign of a brief, if unofficial, cessation of total hostility between the warring sides.
—Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Dec. 2024
Reuters — At least 127 people, mostly civilians, were killed in Sudan on Monday and Tuesday by barrel bombs and shelling from the warring sides, rights activists said.
—Reuters, CNN, 11 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for war
Recent Examples of Synonyms for war
Noun
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Security guarantees for Ukraine that are directly tied to the cessation of hostilities can advance all three of these objectives.—
Samuel Charap,
Foreign Affairs,
24 Dec. 2024
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But Israel's military plans for a major offensive in Gaza may reshape the course of the conflict, depending on the outcome of talks and possible further hostilities.—
Benedict Cosgrove,
Newsweek,
20 Dec. 2024
Noun
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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
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The deaths come as a deadline expired Sunday for Israel to withdraw forces from the area, as part of a ceasefire agreement that ended months of conflict with Hezbollah.—
Charbel Mallo,
CNN,
26 Jan. 2025
Noun
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In a YouTube video released in October, Jake Paul announced his endorsement for Trump for the 2024 election and drew a bold comparison between the president-elect's legal battles and the historic struggles of America's Founding Fathers.—
Justin Gest,
Newsweek,
20 Jan. 2025
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Meanwhile, more borrower-friendly regulations for the Borrower Defense to Repayment program remain stuck in a legal battle.—
Adam S. Minsky,
Forbes,
20 Jan. 2025
Verb
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In 2169, Andrea fights to break down the wall that surrounds Porto 01.—
Rafa Sales Ross,
Variety,
21 Jan. 2025
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But Wong fought his case all the way to the Supreme Court, which ruled on March 28, 1898, that the 14th Amendment guaranteed U.S. citizenship to Wong and any other person born on U.S. soil.—
Russell Contreras,
Axios,
21 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Below, a breakdown of the different types of curly hair: What to Consider When Shopping for the Best Curly Hair Products The Different Types of Curly Hair Products Those of us with curly hair deeply understand the strife and struggle that comes along with trying to manage our curly hair.—
Claire Sullivan,
WWD,
22 Jan. 2025
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Most likely, the Oscars will serve as a show of resilience for a town that has endured, in the past few years, a pandemic shutdown, labor strife, and the uncertainty of the streaming age.—
Michael Schulman,
The New Yorker,
22 Jan. 2025
Noun
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But Kendrick did not have to straddle a white-hot rivalry like Velazquez.—
Matt Baker,
The Athletic,
19 Jan. 2025
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While opposed by every government in the region, ISIS-K has exploited insecurity and international rivalries to entrench itself as one of the world's deadliest and most unpredictable non-state actors in the wake of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.—
David Faris,
Newsweek,
19 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Now after not knowing if her career was over, Prince could contend for an All-American spot, just like Van Lith, who is averaging 18.3 points and a career-high 6.2 assists.—
Steven Johnson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
18 Jan. 2025
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Free-speech advocates contend that the ban would violate First Amendment rights.—
Victoria Bekiempis,
Vulture,
17 Jan. 2025
Noun
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The law aims to prevent China from collecting substantial amounts of data from the platform's 170 million U.S. users and covertly manipulate the content on TikTok to harm the U.S. by sowing discord and division, federal officials have said.—
Caitlin Yilek,
CBS News,
17 Jan. 2025
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Gallup’s research shows that U.S. adults think 2025 will be a year of political conflict, economic difficulty, international discord, increasing power for China and Russia and a rising federal budget deficit.—
Bryan Robinson,
Forbes,
9 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near war
Cite this Entry
“War.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/war. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.
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