as in war
a a state or period of fighting between groups of people in the same country
a region that has had many civil wars
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Recent Examples of civil war
With Beirut unwilling to risk civil war by confronting the militants directly — especially while Israel occupies Lebanese territory — the ceasefire offers some reprieve.
—
Sam Metz, Chicago Tribune, 25 Apr. 2026
Lebanon has the most decent, pluralistic-minded president, Joseph Aoun, and prime minister, Nawaf Salam, since the 1975-90 civil war.
—Thomas L. Friedman, Mercury News, 25 Apr. 2026
The novel became a post-civil war sensation, has been a staple of American literature classes ever since, and has inspired multiple films.
—Rob Hubbard, Twin Cities, 24 Apr. 2026
Open civil war between the Yorkists and the Lancastrians is now imminent.
—Gitanjali Roy, Encyclopedia Britannica, 23 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for civil war
Sam Metz, Chicago Tribune, 25 Apr. 2026
Lebanon has the most decent, pluralistic-minded president, Joseph Aoun, and prime minister, Nawaf Salam, since the 1975-90 civil war.
—Thomas L. Friedman, Mercury News, 25 Apr. 2026
The novel became a post-civil war sensation, has been a staple of American literature classes ever since, and has inspired multiple films.
—Rob Hubbard, Twin Cities, 24 Apr. 2026
Open civil war between the Yorkists and the Lancastrians is now imminent.
—Gitanjali Roy, Encyclopedia Britannica, 23 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for civil war
Recent Examples of Synonyms for civil war
Noun
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Khanna said the war will increase costs by $5,000 for American households.—
Christopher Cann,
USA Today,
30 Apr. 2026
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Hegseth also had contentious exchanges about the war in Iran, trading broadsides with Democratic lawmakers over the strategic direction of the war and costs to Americans at home and abroad.—
Washington Post,
Washington Post,
29 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Per a source, that cold war continued through the offseason.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Apr. 2026
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And that means that if the hot war ends, but Iran ends up in another cold war, that would be as fatal to the regime as the continuation of the hot war.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
25 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Minghella and a stellar cast never lose the tenderness amidst the epic sweep of a world war.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
14 Apr. 2026
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Fears that attacks on Iran could trigger a more widespread world war were unfounded.—
Boston Herald editorial staff,
Boston Herald,
5 Mar. 2026
Noun
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But none of these conflicts affected so many corners of the world as swiftly as the Iran war.—
Sudarsan Raghavan,
New Yorker,
28 Apr. 2026
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While they are all expected to leave interest rates unchanged, investors are keen to know how officials view the inflation threat posed by the oil shock stemming from the US-Iran conflict.—
Ashutosh Joshi,
Bloomberg,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
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By the conclusion of the second film, Paul had aligned with the native Fremen people of Arrakis to successfully defeat House Harkonnen and began a holy war against the Empire.—
Brian Welk,
IndieWire,
14 Apr. 2026
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Some of these invocations align with Hegseth’s recurring references to the Crusades in the Middle Ages – a centuries-long holy war between Christians and Muslims.—
Samuel Perry,
The Conversation,
6 Apr. 2026
Noun
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In contrast, China has made targeted investments intended to give it an advantage in a quick, limited war, while keeping its overall defense spending relatively modest: Beijing’s defense spending has risen from five percent of U.S. levels in 1995 to 32 percent in 2017.—
Oriana Skylar Mastro,
Foreign Affairs,
20 May 2025
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Israel and Hezbollah have engaged in a limited war since last October, but Israeli forces have significantly escalated the scope of their attacks since the beginning of September in an attempt to force Hezbollah to stop its attacks on northern Israel.—
Mike Brest,
Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government,
30 Sep. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Civil war.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/civil%20war. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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