noun
Common
warfare
WAW-feh-uh
Warfare (noun) means the act of fighting a war, or armed conflict between opposing forces. Example: “The museum has an exhibition about how warfare changed between the two world wars.”
noun
1
The act of fighting a war, or armed conflict between opposing forces.
"The museum has an exhibition about how warfare changed between the two world wars."
"Modern warfare relies heavily on technology and intelligence."
"Years of warfare had left the region in ruins."
2
A particular style or method of waging conflict.
"Naval warfare depends on ships controlling the sea lanes."
"The general studied desert warfare before leading his troops across the sand."
"The rebels specialised in guerrilla warfare in the dense jungle."
How to use warfare
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishFighting a war, or a particular kind of fighting, such as chemical warfare or trench warfare.
Common pairings
guerrilla warfare
chemical warfare
psychological warfare
act of warfare
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Word forms
- Plural
- warfares
- Third person singular
- warfares
- Past tense
- warfared
Fill the gap
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The museum has an exhibition about how _____ changed between the two world wars.
Etymology
From war plus fare (in the old sense of "going, journeying") — literally "the business of waging war."
Synonyms
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Related words
Rhymes for warfare
See all rhymes for warfare →Frequently asked questions
What does “warfare” mean?
The word “warfare” means the act of fighting a war, or armed conflict between opposing forces. In plain terms, fighting a war, or a particular kind of fighting, such as chemical warfare or trench warfare.
How do you pronounce “warfare”?
“Warfare” is pronounced WAW-feh-uh (/ˈwɔɹfɛɹ/ in IPA).
How do you use “warfare” in a sentence?
Here is “warfare” used in a sentence: “Modern warfare relies heavily on technology and intelligence.”
What part of speech is “warfare”?
“Warfare” is a noun.
Is “warfare” a common word?
“Warfare” is a fairly common word in modern English.
How many meanings does “warfare” have?
“Warfare” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: the act of fighting a war, or armed conflict between opposing forces.
What is the difference between war and warfare?
A war is a specific armed conflict between opposing forces, usually with a recognizable beginning and end, while warfare refers to the activity or method of fighting itself. You declare a war, but you engage in warfare, and warfare readily combines with modifiers that describe a style of fighting, as in "guerrilla warfare."
Is warfare countable or uncountable?
Warfare is an uncountable noun, so it has no plural form and does not take "a" or "an." Standard usage is "modern warfare" or "chemical warfare," never "a warfare" or "warfares."
What are common collocations with warfare?
Warfare typically follows a modifier naming the method or arena of conflict: chemical warfare, guerrilla warfare, psychological warfare, trench warfare, and cyber warfare are all frequent. The verb most often paired with it is "wage," as in "to wage warfare."
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