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