civil wars

noun

plural of civil war
as in wars
a a state or period of fighting between groups of people in the same country a region that has had many civil wars

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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 wars Annour and his family were once part of that wave, fleeing their home in Sudan in 2003, stepping around dead bodies and witnessing unimaginable horror, to escape one in a series of continuing civil wars that have given way to genocide. — Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026 The Tokugawa shogunate had brought a period of civil wars to an end, and during the long, uninterrupted peace under its iron rule there were fewer opportunities for men who had been trained to fight. — Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026 And America’s civil wars in countries like Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Mexico, and El Salvador. — Daniel Peña, Literary Hub, 7 Oct. 2026 At their height, jihadi groups proved capable of spectacular violence, forming alliances amid civil wars and even seizing territory. — Daniel Byman, Foreign Affairs, 8 Sep. 2026 The United States’ contribution to ending Europe’s two civil wars fostered American confidence and, by the mid-Forties, declarations of an American century. — Cynthia Zarin, Harpers Magazine, 28 July 2026 Inside many of Miami’s multiplying condos, civil wars are raging between residents who live there and absentee owners who buy units for investment income. — Linda Robertson, Miami Herald, 16 July 2026 Syria, Libya, and Yemen have already endured civil wars and protracted humanitarian crises. — Sarah Yerkes, Time, 10 July 2026 So, the civil wars of the 1640s. — Sean Woods, Rolling Stone, 25 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for civil wars
  1. wars
  2. hostilities
  3. conflicts
Noun
  • Reserved by nature and a political civilian most of his life, Lombardo has spent the last four years focused on the basics — crime, education, job growth, economic development — and largely steered clear of the country’s incendiary culture wars.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 25 Oct. 2026
  • The whole idea is for Israel to keep fighting, because endless wars serve Netanyahu to maintain… a constant state of emergency.
    — Daniel Estrin, NPR, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of wars
Noun
  • Riyadh said the discussions were aimed at keeping diplomatic channels open and preventing another escalation in hostilities.
    — Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 27 Oct. 2026
  • The conflict is now in its seventh month, and both countries seem a bit far apart on how to end hostilities.
    — Mathew Miranda, Sacbee.com, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of hostilities
Noun
  • His critics see a president who failed to tame inflation and keep America out of overseas conflicts, and whose agenda has fueled higher prices as the war with Iran appears to be at a stalemate.
    — JOSH BOAK, Arkansas Online, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Inter-regional conflicts Disagreements over the future of water in Texas are already playing out.
    — Lexi Salazar, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of conflicts

Browse Nearby Words

civil war
civil wars
civvies
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Cite this Entry

“Civil wars.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/civil%20wars. Accessed 29 Oct. 2026.

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