war

The word “war” means large-scale armed conflict between countries, groups, or factions. In plain terms, large-scale armed conflict, or by extension, any long, hard-fought struggle against something.

“War” is pronounced waw (/wɔɹ/ in IPA).

Here is “war” used in a sentence: “The two nations had been at war for nearly a decade.”

Words with a similar meaning to “war” include fight, go to war, wage war and warray.

The opposite of “war” — its antonyms — is peace.

Depending on how it is used, “war” can be a noun and a verb.

The word “war” comes from French. From Old Northern French werre ("guerre" in modern French), ultimately from a Frankish word meaning "confusion" or "strife" — war gradually replaced older English words for armed conflict during the Middle Ages.

“War” is a very common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A1 level.

A war is a long, large-scale armed conflict that can last months or years and may cover many separate clashes. A battle is a single fight within a war, limited in time and place. In other words, a war is made up of many battles, campaigns, and events between the sides involved.

'Conflict' is the broader word, covering any serious disagreement or clash, from arguments to armed struggle. 'War' refers specifically to large-scale, organised, armed fighting between countries or groups. Every war is a conflict, but many conflicts — political, legal, or personal — never involve weapons or become wars at all.

Wars are often grouped by who fights and how. A civil war is fought between groups inside one country, while an international war involves separate nations, and a world war draws in many countries at once. Other terms describe methods or aims, such as guerrilla warfare and a 'cold war,' where rivals compete without direct fighting.

Peace is the opposite of war — a state in which countries or groups live without armed conflict. Related ideas include a truce or ceasefire, which pause the fighting, and an armistice or treaty, which can formally end it. Where war means organised violence, peace means the absence of it.