war
[noun]
Synonyms:
- fighting, battle, combat, conflict, enmity, hostilities, struggle, warfare
[verb]
Synonyms:
- fight, battle, campaign against, clash, combat, take up arms, wage war

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Related Idioms: draw the sword against, lift one's hand against, take up the cudgels
Related Words: attempt, endeavor, essay, strive, struggle, challenge, engage, take on

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English Thesaurus: war, conflict, fighting, hostilities, warfare, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

war S2 W1 /wɔː $ wɔːr/ 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 Antonym : 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

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

war
noun
ADJ. long, short | bloody | all-out, full-scale, total Six years of total war had left no citizen untouched.
limited | holy, just | civil, global, world | air, guerrilla | atomic, nuclear | cold | economic, trade | price | class
VERB + WAR be in, fight in My grandfather fought in two world wars.
fight, make, wage The two countries fought a short but bloody war. The Spartans were persuaded to make war on Athens. The terrorists were charged with waging war against the state.
win | lose | declare | go to The country went to war in 1914.
avert, prevent | be ravaged by
WAR + VERB approach, loom, threaten | begin, break out, come, erupt, start | escalate, spread talks to prevent the war from escalating
continue, drag on, go on, last, progress, rage (on) The war raged for nearly two years.
come to an end, end
WAR + NOUN years the shortage of food during the war years
hero, veteran | chief, leader | casualty, victim | damage | correspondent the war correspondent of a daily newspaper
artist, poet | zone | effort Every available resource went towards the war effort.
record Both candidates have distinguished war records.
wound | crime, criminal | graves, memorial | aims | damages, reparations | baby, bride, widow | booty | cry, dance | machine the Soviet war machine
PREP. at ~ a country at war
between the ~s (= between the First and Second World Wars), in (a/the) ~ killed in war He took part in the Vietnam War.
~ against/with the war against the French a war against drug abuse | ~ between war between Iran and Iraq
~ on The US declared war on Japan.
~ with a trade war with the United States
PHRASES the horrors of war The country had just emerged from the horrors of civil war.
in a state of war, in time/times of war In times of war, troops were billeted in the mill.
on a war footing The army had been placed on a war footing.
the brink of war The crisis took Europe to the brink of war.
the outbreak of war At the outbreak of war, most children were evacuated to the countryside.
a theatre of war These aircraft are designed to take troops and weapons to any theatre of war in the shortest time possible.
a war of attrition

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

war

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.
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.
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.
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?
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.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

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.
conflicting views/opinions/ideas
There are conflicting opinions on what causes the disease.
conflicting interests (=different things that people, countries etc want or think are important)
The two groups have conflicting interests.
conflicting emotions
I left home with conflicting emotions of sadness and excitement.
conflicting demands (=things that demand your attention)
the conflicting demands of work and family life
conflicting evidence
The witnesses at the trial gave conflicting evidence.
conflicting results
Scientific tests have produced conflicting results.
conflicting information
There’s a lot of conflicting information about what is best for you to eat.
conflicting advice
I’ve seen two doctors and been given conflicting advice.
conflicting reports/accounts
When questioned, the boys gave conflicting accounts of what they were doing that night.
conflicting theories
There are conflicting theories about the origin of the universe.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

war
wɔ:
See: cold war , tug of war

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲

WAR
Willing, Able and Ready 
With All Risks

[TahlilGaran] Acronyms and Abbreviations Dictionary ▲