civil war

noun

Definition of civil warnext
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

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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 war Elites, fearing for their safety, may mutiny, potentially leading to a civil war among Putin's security forces. — Melik Kaylan, Forbes.com, 29 June 2026 So this was really a dispute among the justices about understanding how far the victors basically of the civil war wanted to go in enshrining ideas about broad US citizenship. — Dana Taylor, USA Today, 1 July 2026 Hezbollah, along with Iran, intervened on the side of Assad during Syria’s 14-year civil war, while al-Sharaa was the leader of an insurgent group seeking to overthrow him. — ABC News, 28 June 2026 Violent political unrest in Burma following the military takeover in 2021 — which has led into a civil war between the military government and its pro-democracy opponents, as well as ethnic armed groups — has caused an increase in drug production, experts told the AP. — Greg Norman-Diamond, FOXNews.com, 26 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for civil war
Recent Examples of Synonyms for civil war
  1. war
  2. cold war
  3. world war
  4. conflict
  5. holy war
  6. limited war
Noun
  • Alnaji was part of a pro-Palestinian group protesting over the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza and Kessler was demonstrating in support of Israel, authorities have said.
    — Phil Helsel, NBC news, 2 July 2026
  • The war period saw its own moments of threats to rights, such as suspending habeas corpus, the legal mechanism to prevent arbitrary detention.
    — Chris Kenning, USA Today, 2 July 2026
Definition of war
Noun
  • The report, based on in-depth interviews with single-family office principals and CIOs across North America, Europe, Asia and Latin America, captures a generational cold war playing out inside the world’s most secretive financial institutions.
    — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 1 June 2026
  • Ahead of season 3, EW has launched three motion covers, each one starring a contender for the crown — as the show's cold war escalates into literal dragon fire.
    — Tiffany Kelly, Entertainment Weekly, 29 May 2026
Definition of cold war
Noun
  • Louis' boxing matches with Schmeling were viewed as pivotal international events in the context of the brewing world war with Nazi Germany.
    — Tommy McArdle, PEOPLE, 19 June 2026
  • Horkheimer, amid the wreckage of world war, lost faith in progress; his dialectic negated one construct after another.
    — Alex Ross, New Yorker, 15 June 2026
Definition of world war
Noun
  • The conflict has killed at least 59,000 people, displaced some 13 million and pushed many parts of Sudan into famine.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2026
  • After more than four years of war between Russia and Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin has made a rare admission that the conflict has caused his country a problem.
    — Justin Klawans, TheWeek, 7 July 2026
Definition of conflict
Noun
  • Commentary and opinions Bass clears the first hurdle, but if Pratt holds off Raman, the mayoral race could be a holy war, writes columnist Steve Lopez.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 4 June 2026
  • Khomeini demonized the United States and Soviet Union as the Iran-Iraq holy war raged during much of his tenure.
    — USA Today, USA Today, 19 May 2026
Definition of holy war
Noun
  • 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
  • Many scholars panned the book, believing its 34-year-old author had overestimated the nation’s ability to keep limited war limited.
    — David E. Sanger, New York Times, 30 Nov. 2023
Definition of limited war

Browse Nearby Words

civil unions
civil war
civil wars
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Cite this Entry

“Civil war.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/civil%20war. Accessed 9 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on civil war

Nglish: Translation of civil war for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about civil war

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