1
: military operations between enemies : hostilities, war
also
: an activity undertaken by a political unit (such as a nation) to weaken or destroy another
economic warfare
2
: struggle between competing entities : conflict
see also biological warfare, chemical warfare, cyber warfare, germ warfare, psychological warfare, trench warfare
Synonyms
Examples of warfare in a Sentence
that troubled household seems to be almost constantly in a state of warfare
companies engaged in constant warfare for dominance in the market for smart phones and tablets
Recent Examples on the Web
For years, experts have warned about the dangers of using AI in warfare.
—
David Meyer, Fortune, 4 Apr. 2024
The warfare over plans by Oakland International Airport to incorporate San Francisco Bay into its name widened on Wednesday after the East Bay aviation hub drafted travel leaders to take up its cause.
—George Avalos, The Mercury News, 3 Apr. 2024
But with the context different now — Israelis and Palestinians are locked in ferocious warfare — have Netanyahu’s chances for political survival also changed?
—Tracy Wilkinson, Los Angeles Times, 3 Apr. 2024
Separately, a chilling recent report in Sky News Arabia detailed how in the capital, Khartoum, protracted, grueling urban warfare has led to a spike in the migration of European vultures and a boom in the population of stray dogs, all drawn to the city’s carrion.
—Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 1 Apr. 2024
Military analysts are reportedly baffled by how the fundamentals of wartime principles have shifted as previous Russian, U.S. and NATO military doctrines have largely all been invalidated by the realities of drone warfare, explained the expert.
—Caitlin McFall, Fox News, 31 Mar. 2024
Compared to an unarmored, open-top golf-cart, the Ladoga is much better-suited for mechanized warfare.
—David Axe, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
Criminal groups have choked off the city’s supply of food, fuel and water, and blocked access to the port and roads leading out of the city, leaving residents to shelter in their homes as the streets become grounds for urban warfare between the gangs and Haiti’s National Police.
—CNN, 24 Mar. 2024
The veterans group is open to submarine crew who have qualified to
wear the warfare specialty pin, the dolphins (Silver or Gold).
—Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Mar. 2024
David Meyer, Fortune, 4 Apr. 2024
The warfare over plans by Oakland International Airport to incorporate San Francisco Bay into its name widened on Wednesday after the East Bay aviation hub drafted travel leaders to take up its cause.
—George Avalos, The Mercury News, 3 Apr. 2024
But with the context different now — Israelis and Palestinians are locked in ferocious warfare — have Netanyahu’s chances for political survival also changed?
—Tracy Wilkinson, Los Angeles Times, 3 Apr. 2024
Separately, a chilling recent report in Sky News Arabia detailed how in the capital, Khartoum, protracted, grueling urban warfare has led to a spike in the migration of European vultures and a boom in the population of stray dogs, all drawn to the city’s carrion.
—Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 1 Apr. 2024
Military analysts are reportedly baffled by how the fundamentals of wartime principles have shifted as previous Russian, U.S. and NATO military doctrines have largely all been invalidated by the realities of drone warfare, explained the expert.
—Caitlin McFall, Fox News, 31 Mar. 2024
Compared to an unarmored, open-top golf-cart, the Ladoga is much better-suited for mechanized warfare.
—David Axe, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
Criminal groups have choked off the city’s supply of food, fuel and water, and blocked access to the port and roads leading out of the city, leaving residents to shelter in their homes as the streets become grounds for urban warfare between the gangs and Haiti’s National Police.
—CNN, 24 Mar. 2024
The veterans group is open to submarine crew who have qualified to
wear the warfare specialty pin, the dolphins (Silver or Gold).
—Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'warfare.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near warfare
Cite this Entry
“Warfare.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/warfare. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
warfare
noun
war·fare
ˈwȯr-ˌfa(ə)r 
-ˌfe(ə)r
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