noun
war
waw
noun
1
Large-scale armed conflict between countries, groups, or factions.
"The two nations had been at war for nearly a decade."
"Historians still debate what triggered the war."
2
A sustained struggle or campaign against a problem or rival.
"The government launched a war on drug trafficking."
verb
1
To engage in armed conflict.
"The two kingdoms warred over the disputed border for years."
How to Use War
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishLarge-scale armed conflict, or by extension, any long, hard-fought struggle against something.
Common pairings
go to war
war on drugs
declare war
price war
Word Forms
warred past tense, wars plural, wars singular
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Etymology
From Old Northern French werre ("guerre" in modern French), ultimately from a Frankish word meaning "confusion" or "strife" — war gradually replaced older English words for armed conflict during the Middle Ages.