warfare

C1 Topic:Actions & Processes

US /ˈwɔɹfɛɹ/ UK /ˈwɔːfɛə/ See IPA manual

Freq #9375

Meanings

1

noun
The activity of fighting a war or armed conflict.

Modern warfare relies heavily on drones and computers.
2

noun
A particular kind of military fighting, such as guerrilla warfare.

The rebels were experts in guerrilla warfare.
3

noun
An ongoing struggle between rival groups or interests.

The two firms were locked in constant price warfare.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · the activity of fighting a... war

3 noun · an ongoing struggle between... war

Word family

Forms warfares

Derived forms antiwarfarecyberwarfaree-warfarelawfarewarfarer

Related forms war

Appears in

Phrases (3)

See all

Etymology

From war + fare; perhaps a shortening of Middle English werre-faringe, werfarynge (“waging war, warfare”, literally “going to war”).

werre-faringe Middle English

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Actions & Processes

External links

# warfare

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C1
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈwɔɹfɛɹ/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈwɔːfɛə/
**Frequency rank:** 9375

## Meanings
1. The activity of fighting a war or armed conflict.
2. A particular kind of military fighting, such as guerrilla warfare.
3. An ongoing struggle between rival groups or interests.

## Examples
- Modern warfare relies heavily on drones and computers.
- The rebels were experts in guerrilla warfare.
- The two firms were locked in constant price warfare.

## Derived Forms
- antiwarfare
- cyberwarfare
- e-warfare
- lawfare
- warfarer

## Related Forms
- war

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: werre-faringe

## Etymology
From war + fare; perhaps a shortening of Middle English werre-faringe, werfarynge (“waging war, warfare”, literally “going to war”).

## AI Etymology
Warfare is from war + fare; perhaps a shortening of Middle English werre-faringe, werfarynge (“waging war, warfare”, literally “going to war”). In present-day use, it can mean the activity of fighting a war or armed conflict, or a particular kind of military fighting, such as guerrilla warfare. Derived formations include antiwarfare, cyberwarfare, e-warfare, lawfare, and warfarer. Related vocabulary includes war.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes

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