war S2 W1 /wɔː $ wɔːr/ BrE AmE noun
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ war , ↑ warfare , ↑ warrior ; adjective : ↑ pre-war ≠ ↑ post-war , ↑ warring ]
[ Date: 1100-1200 ; Language: Old North French ; Origin: werre , from Old French guerre ]
1 . [uncountable and countable] when there is fighting between two or more countries or between opposing groups within a country, involving large numbers of soldiers and weapons OPP peace :
the Vietnam War
He served as a pilot during the war.
war against/with/between
the war with Spain
2 . [uncountable and countable] a struggle over a long period of time to control something harmful
war on/against
the State’s war on drugs
the war against racism
3 . [uncountable and countable] a situation in which a person or group is fighting for power, influence, or control:
No one wants to start a trade war here.
a ratings war between the major TV networks
⇨ ↑ price war
4 . be in the wars British English spoken used, often humorously, to say that someone has lots of injuries or health problems:
You’ve really been in the wars lately, haven’t you?
5 . this means war spoken used humorously to say that you are ready to fight or argue about something
⇨ ↑ cold war , ↑ war of attrition , ↑ war of nerves , ↑ war of words , ↑ warring
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COLLOCATIONS
■ verbs
▪ fight a war
The two countries fought a brief war in 1995.
▪ fight in a war (=take part as a soldier)
Her grandfather fought in the war.
▪ win/lose a war
The Allies had won the war.
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What would have happened if we’d lost the war?
▪ declare war
In 1941, Britain and the US declared war on Japan.
▪ wage/make war (=to start and continue a war)
Their aim was to destroy the country’s capacity to wage war.
▪ go to war (=become involved in a war)
It has been said that democracies don’t go to war with each other.
▪ war breaks out (=it starts)
They married just before war broke out.
▪ a war rages (=continues in a very violent way)
A civil war is still raging there.
■ phrases
▪ be at war
Russia was at war with Poland.
▪ be on the brink of war (=be about to be involved in a war)
The country was on the brink of war.
▪ the outbreak of war (=the time when a war starts)
A week after the outbreak of war, he enlisted in the army.
▪ the horrors of war
They wanted to forget the horrors of war they had witnessed.
■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + war
▪ a world war
No one wants another world war.
▪ a civil war (=between opposing groups within a country)
the English Civil War
▪ a nuclear war (=involving nuclear weapons)
The possibility of nuclear war was much on people’s minds in the Fifties.
▪ a conventional war (=not nuclear)
A conventional war would still cause unacceptable devastation.
▪ a guerrilla war (=involving a small unofficial military group)
The nine-year guerrilla war has ended at last.
▪ the Korean/Vietnam/Iraq etc War
People were protesting against the Vietnam War.
▪ World War I/World War II
He was a pilot in World War II.
▪ a just war (=one that you believe is right)
They believe that they are fighting a just war.
▪ a religious war
How many people have died in religious wars?
■ war + NOUN
▪ the war years
The couple spent most of the war years apart.
▪ a war hero
At home he was hailed as a war hero.
▪ a war veteran (=someone who took part in a war)
There was a service for war veterans in the Garden of Remembrance.
▪ a war criminal (=someone who behaves very cruelly in a war, in a way that is against international law)
the arrest of two suspected Nazi war criminals
▪ a war correspondent (=a reporter sending reports from a war)
Being a war correspondent is a dangerous job.
▪ a war zone (=an area where a war is fought)
The country had turned into a war zone.
▪ a war crime (=a cruel act in a war which is against international law)
They will be charged with war crimes.
▪ a war wound
He still suffered pain from an old war wound.
▪ a war grave
He had gone with a friend to visit the war graves in Flanders.
■ COMMON ERRORS
► Do not say ' do the war '. Say go to war or make war .
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THESAURUS
▪ war noun [uncountable and countable] a situation in which there is fighting between countries or opposing groups within a country, with large numbers of soldiers and weapons:
He fought in World War II.
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the horrors of war
▪ conflict noun [uncountable and countable] a situation in which there is fighting or a war – used especially in news reports:
the conflict in the Middle East
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There is increasing danger of armed conflict.
▪ fighting noun [uncountable] a situation in which people or groups fight each other and try to kill each other:
The fighting went on for months.
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Fighting in the north has resulted in hundreds of deaths.
▪ hostilities noun [plural] formal fighting in a war:
The agreement called on the guerrillas to cease hostilities (=stop fighting) and begin peace talks.
▪ warfare noun [uncountable] the activity of fighting in a war – used especially to talk about a method of fighting:
new and more advanced methods of warfare
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chemical warfare
▪ battle noun [uncountable and countable] an occasion when two armies, groups of ships etc fight each other in one place during a war:
the great naval battles of the Napoleonic Wars
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the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805
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He died in battle.
▪ skirmish /ˈskɜːmɪʃ $ ˈskɜːr-/ noun [countable] a short fight between small groups of soldiers, ships etc, especially one that happens away from the main part of a war or battle:
There were minor skirmishes between Indian and Pakistani troops across the border.
▪ combat noun [uncountable] the act of fighting, especially during a war:
Few of them had any experience of combat.
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hand-to-hand combat
▪ action noun [uncountable] military actions carried out by the army, navy etc of a country during a war – used especially in the following phrases:
He was killed in action in 1944.
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Her son went missing in action.
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Her grandfather saw action (=fought) in two world wars.