WAR


Meaning of WAR in English

INDEX:

1. fighting between countries or armies

2. to fight in a war or be in a war

3. to start a war

4. during a war

5. the place where a war is fought

6. the people you are fighting against in a war

7. someone who is keen to start a war

RELATED WORDS

opposite

↑ PEACE

see also

↑ FIGHT

↑ ARMY

↑ KILL

↑ ATTACK

↑ DEFEND

↑ REBELLION/REVOLUTION

↑ ENEMY

↑ WEAPON

↑ EXPLODE

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1. fighting between countries or armies

▷ war /wɔːʳ/ [countable/uncountable noun]

a long period of fighting, when the armies, ships, and planes of two or more countries fight against each other :

▪ the Vietnam War

▪ When the war ended in 1945, Europe was in chaos.

win/lose a war

▪ Who won the Franco-Prussian War?

civil war

war between groups of people from the same country

▪ More Americans died in the Civil War than in World War II.

war against/with

▪ Iran’s seven-year war with Iraq

war breaks out

war begins

▪ In 1874, war broke out in Europe again.

the outbreak of war

the time when a war begins

▪ In the months leading up to the outbreak of war, both countries were involved in a massive arms build-up.

war hero

▪ a war hero and former fighter pilot

war veteran

a former soldier who fought in a war

▪ War veterans claim that they were exposed to chemical weapons while fighting in the Gulf.

▷ conflict /ˈkɒnflɪktǁˈkɑːn-/ [countable/uncountable noun]

a situation in which two countries or groups are fighting against each other - used especially in news reports :

▪ the conflict in the Middle East

▪ Can this peace settlement bring an end to years of conflict?

▪ The conflict began early in December 1994.

▷ rebellion /rɪˈbeljən/ [countable noun]

an organized attempt to change or destroy the government by fighting against it :

▪ The rebellion spread quickly through the Western Provinces.

rebellion against

▪ an armed rebellion against the government

crush/put down a rebellion

use force to stop it

▪ The army was brought in to crush the rebellion.

▷ fighting /ˈfaɪtɪŋ/ [uncountable noun]

when soldiers fight against each other during a war or battle :

▪ The UN had failed to stop the fighting in Rwanda.

heavy/fierce fighting

a lot of fighting when many people are hurt

▪ The streets of the capital are now quiet again, after three weeks of heavy fighting.

renewed fighting

fighting that starts again after it had stopped

▪ Some 15,000 people have fled the city, following renewed fighting.

▷ warfare /ˈwɔːʳfeəʳ/ [uncountable noun]

the activity of fighting in a war - use this especially to talk about the methods of fighting that are used in war :

▪ the history of modern warfare

nuclear/chemical warfare

fighting with nuclear bombs or poison gas

▪ a secret underground chemical warfare plant

▪ Many people believe that what happened in 1940 was a British chemical warfare experiment that went wrong.

guerrilla warfare

when small unofficial military groups fight against the government

▪ The rebels aimed to overthrow the government through protracted guerrilla warfare.

▷ hostilities /hɒˈstɪlɪtiz, hɒˈstɪlətizǁhɑː-/ [plural noun] written

when two armies or opposing groups are fighting :

▪ Land mines maim and kill innocent people, long after hostilities have ceased.

▪ Mexican forces were ordered to avoid all hostilities with the American troops.

end hostilities

▪ The two sides reach an agreement to end hostilities.

the start/outbreak of hostilities

▪ The Japanese navy scored a success only two days after the start of hostilities, by sinking two British battleships.

▷ battle /ˈbætl/ [countable noun]

a fight in one area between two armies, or two groups of ships or planes :

▪ a naval battle in the North Sea

battle of

▪ the Battle of the Somme

win/lose a battle

▪ The French lost the Battle of Agincourt in 1415.

die/be wounded/be killed in battle

▪ King Olaf died in battle, in 1030.

lead/send somebody into battle

▪ Lyndon Johnson first sent U.S. combat troops into battle in March 1965.

▷ skirmish /ˈskɜːʳmɪʃ/ [countable noun]

a short, unplanned, and usually not very important fight between two small groups of soldiers :

▪ Last night skirmishes were reported along the border.

▪ Government soldiers ran into a group of rebels, and a skirmish followed.

2. to fight in a war or be in a war

▷ fight /faɪt/ [intransitive/transitive verb]

to take part in a war or battle :

▪ His grandfather fought on the Republican side in the Spanish Civil War.

▪ The Boers were fighting the British at this time.

fight for

▪ Most of these young soldiers don’t even know what they’re fighting for.

fight in

▪ My grandfather fought in World War II.

fight a war/battle

▪ They were fighting a war of independence against a powerful enemy.

▷ clash /klæʃ/ [intransitive verb]

if two armies or groups clash, they suddenly start fighting each other, especially for a short time - used especially in news reports: :

▪ Iranian and Iraqi troops clashed on the border.

clash with

▪ US planes clashed with enemy fighter aircraft again today.

clash [countable noun]

▪ border clashes between India and Pakistan

▷ be at war /biː ət ˈwɔːʳ/ [verb phrase]

if two countries are at war with each other, they are fighting a war against each other :

▪ Europe had been at war for nearly two years.

▪ He could not remember a time when his country had not been at war.

be at war with

▪ In 1792 England was at war with America.

▷ wage war /ˌweɪdʒ ˈwɔːʳ/ [verb phrase]

to start and continue a war, especially for a long period :

▪ In his speech he promised full support to wars of independence waged by colonial peoples.

wage war on/against

▪ Many Americans now question whether the US should have waged war on Vietnam.

▷ make war /ˌmeɪk ˈwɔːr/ [verb phrase]

to fight a war, especially by suddenly attacking a country that does not threaten your country :

▪ He believes that men make war because they are by nature aggressive.

make war on

▪ Throughout the nineteenth century the colonial powers made war on poorer countries in order to gain territory.

▷ warring /ˈwɔːrɪŋ/ [adjective only before noun]

warring factions/nations/tribes/groups etc

nations etc that are fighting against each other :

▪ Fighting between the various warring factions was destroying the country.

▪ All attempts to reconcile the two warring groups have failed.

3. to start a war

▷ declare war /dɪˌkleəʳ ˈwɔːʳ/ [verb phrase]

if a country declares war on another country, it makes an official public statement that it is going to fight a war against that country :

▪ He was visiting his parents in Torino when war was declared.

▪ Within hours of the incident, both countries had declared war.

declare war on

▪ In April the Americans declared war on Germany and entered the war.

▷ go to war /ˌgəʊ tə ˈwɔːʳ/ [verb phrase]

if someone goes to war they leave home to fight in a war. If a country or group goes to war it begins to fight another country, group etc :

▪ The women stayed at home and farmed the land, while the men went to war.

▪ The two countries went to war over a small, but important, area of land.

4. during a war

▷ wartime /ˈwɔːʳtaɪm/ [adjective only before noun]

during or relating to the time when there is a war :

▪ He died on a wartime bombing mission.

▪ My grandmother’s wartime experiences were still fresh in her memory.

▪ She grew up in Africa, far away from the hardships of wartime Europe.

▪ wartime President, Franklin D. Roosevelt

▷ wartime /ˈwɔːʳtaɪm/ [uncountable noun]

the time when there is a war :

▪ I longed for a bar of chocolate, but this was wartime, and such luxuries were not available.

in wartime

▪ the importance of secrecy in wartime

▷ in the war /ɪn ðə ˈwɔːʳ/ [adverb]

during the particular war that you are talking about :

▪ What did your father do in the war?

▪ Three of his brothers were killed in the First World War.

▷ in action /ɪn ˈækʃ ə n/ [adverb]

be killed/wounded in action

to be killed or injured while fighting in a battle during a war - used especially in official military statements :

▪ a memorial to the thousands of soldiers killed in action

5. the place where a war is fought

▷ battlefield /ˈbætlfiːld/ [countable noun]

the place where two armies fight a battle :

▪ Thousands died on the battlefields of northern France.

▷ the front line/the front /ðə ˌfrʌnt ˈlaɪn, ðə ˈfrʌnt/ [noun phrase]

the place where an army is closest to the enemy and where the fighting takes place :

▪ We were now just a few kilometres behind the front line.

the Western/Eastern/Russian etc front

▪ Her grandfather had four years on the Western Front.

▷ war zone /ˈwɔːʳ zəʊn/ [countable noun]

an area which is very dangerous because a war is being fought there :

▪ the latest news from the war zone

▪ Aid workers returning from the war zone reported seeing groups of rebels waving white flags.

▷ the field (of battle) /ðə ˌfiːld (əv ˈbætl)/ [singular noun]

the time or the place where there is fighting - use this especially to talk about fighting in general :

on the field of battle

▪ It is better to negotiate than to settle political disputes on the field of battle.

in the field

▪ The new weapon has not yet been tried out in the field.

▪ He was awarded a medal for distinguished service in the field.

▷ theatre British /theater American /ˈθɪətəʳ/ [singular noun]

a large area in which a war is being fought, especially when the war is taking place in several different areas or countries :

Pacific/European/Middle East etc theatre

▪ It was in the Pacific theater of the war that the US won its first major victories.

▪ Many of NATO’s nuclear weapons in the European theatre are obsolete.

▷ war-torn /ˈwɔːʳ tɔːʳn/ [adjective only before noun]

relating to an area where a lot of damage has been caused by war and fighting :

▪ In 1941, Margaret E. Ray escaped war-torn France and landed in New York.

▪ The plan offered long-term aid to war-torn Europe.

6. the people you are fighting against in a war

▷ enemy /ˈenəmi/ [countable noun]

someone that you are fighting against in a war :

▪ Even though these soldiers were our enemies, I felt desperately sorry for them.

the enemy

the army or country that your army or country is fighting against in a war

▪ They accused him of giving secret information to the enemy.

7. someone who is keen to start a war

▷ warmonger /ˈwɔːʳˌmʌŋgəʳǁ-ˌmɑːŋ-, -ˌmʌŋ-/ [countable noun]

someone, especially a politician or a military leader, who is too keen to start wars or to settle arguments by starting a war :

▪ Some saw him as a great statesman, but others saw him as a ruthless warmonger.

▷ militarist /ˈmɪlɪtərɪst, ˈmɪlɪtərəst/ [countable noun]

someone, especially a politician or a military leader, who is too keen to increase the size and power of their country’s armed forces so that it can attack other countries :

▪ The militarists wanted Japan to invade China.

▷ hawk /hɔːk/ [countable noun]

a person, especially a politician, who supports the use of military force and strong action in order to settle arguments with other countries :

▪ The hawks in the government would never permit any talks with the enemy.

▪ We don’t yet know whether the new President is a hawk or a dove someone who prefers peaceful methods .

hawkish [adjective]

supporting the use of military force, even when other people think this is unnecessary :

▪ the hawkish element in the opposition party

Longman Activator English vocab.      Английский словарь Longman активатор .