at war

phrase

: engaged in a war : fighting
Local politicians were at war with one another over the vacant seat.

Examples of at war in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Civilian airports are increasingly becoming military targets, as nations at war seek new ways to inflict economic and psychological damage. — Brendan Ruberry, semafor.com, 15 Oct. 2026 Kelly Clarkson rarely gets involved in high-profile drama, but recently, she’s been at war with the New York store called Art of Play. — Allison Degrushe, StyleCaster, 13 Oct. 2026 Contrast this dynamic with private technology companies, which are perpetually at war for their survival. — Dan Driscoll, Foreign Affairs, 28 Sep. 2026 His country has been at war with the United States and Israel for seven months. — Robin Wright, New Yorker, 26 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for at war

Rhymes for at war

See All Rhymes for at war

Browse Nearby Words

atwain
at war
Atwater
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“At war.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/at%20war. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of compunction

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All