war

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a concerted campaign to end something that is injurious

   the war on poverty

2. 2
   noun

   the waging of armed conflict against an enemy

   thousands of people were killed in the war

3. 3
   noun

   an active struggle between competing entities

   a price war

4. 4
   noun

   a legal state created by a declaration of war and ended by official declaration during which the international rules of war apply

   war was declared in November but actual fighting did not begin until the following spring

5. 5
   noun

   Organized, large-scale, armed conflict between countries or between national, ethnic, or other sizeable groups, usually but not always involving active engagement of military forces.

   holy war; just war; civil war

6. 6
   noun

   A particular conflict of this kind.

   All human tribes glad token see In the close of the wars of Grant and Lee.

7. 7
   noun

   Protracted armed conflict against irregular forces, particularly groups considered terrorists.

   Our war on terror begins with al Qaeda, but it does not end there. It will not end until every terrorist group of global reach has been found, stopped and defeated.

8. 8
   noun

   Any protracted conflict, particularly

   the War on Poverty... the War on Drugs... the War on Christmas...

Etymology

From Middle English werre, from Late Old English werre /wyrre (“armed conflict”), from Anglo-Norman and Old Northern French guerre /werre (compare modern French guerre), from Medieval Latin werra, from Frankish *werru (“confusion; quarrel”), from Proto-Indo-European *wers- (“to mix up, confuse, beat, thresh”). Gradually displaced native Old English beadu, hild, ġewinn, orleġe, wīġ, and many others as the general term for "war" during the Middle English period. Related to Old High German werra (“confusion, strife, quarrel”) and German verwirren (“to confuse”), but not to Wehr (“defense”). Also…