war ‧ fare /ˈwɔːfeə $ ˈwɔːrfer/ BrE AmE noun [uncountable]
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ war , ↑ warfare , ↑ warrior ; adjective : ↑ pre-war ≠ ↑ post-war , ↑ warring ]
[ Date: 1400-1500 ; Origin: war + fare 'going, journey' ]
1 . the activity of fighting in a war – used especially when talking about particular methods of fighting:
the realities of modern warfare
chemical/nuclear/germ etc warfare
trench/jungle/mountain etc warfare
guerrilla warfare (=fighting by small groups of fighters in mountains, forests etc)
2 . a continuous and often violent struggle or argument between different groups
class/gang/internecine etc warfare
the problems of drugs and gang warfare
⇨ psychological warfare at ↑ psychological (3)
• • •
COLLOCATIONS
■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + warfare
▪ chemical warfare (=using chemicals, for example poisonous gases, as weapons)
the consequences of America’s chemical warfare in Vietnam
▪ biological/germ warfare (=using dangerous bacteria or illnesses as a weapon)
These bacteria might be used in biological warfare.
▪ nuclear warfare
the appalling consequences of nuclear warfare.
▪ conventional warfare (=not nuclear)
They had a stronger conventional warfare capability.
▪ ground warfare (=fighting on the ground, rather than in the air or on the sea)
Ground warfare took a heavy toll in casualties.
▪ trench warfare (=fighting from long holes dug into the ground)
There he experienced the full horrors of trench warfare.
▪ jungle warfare
The Japanese had been trained in jungle warfare.
▪ guerrilla warfare (=involving a small unofficial military group)
Sporadic fighting turned into full-scale guerrilla warfare.
▪ naval warfare
The age of modern naval warfare was at hand.
■ verbs
▪ wage warfare
Rebels waged guerrilla warfare against the occupying army.
▪ engage in warfare
The country did not want to engage in warfare.
• • •
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.
|
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
|
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.
|
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
|
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
|
the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805
|
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.
|
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.
|
Her son went missing in action.
|
Her grandfather saw action (=fought) in two world wars.