| at war |
in a state of active hostility or conflict. |
| civil war |
a war within a nation between opposing political factions or regions. [2 definitions] |
| cold war |
intense political or ideological hostility between nations, resulting in high tension between them, but not in outright war. [2 definitions] |
| contraband of war |
war materials, such as weapons and ammunition, that may be confiscated by either side when transported to the other from a neutral government. |
| declare war on |
to formally state an intention to wage war against. [2 definitions] |
| declared war |
an armed conflict that is precipitated by a formal declaration of war. |
| French and Indian War |
a war between France and England fought in North America from 1754 to 1760, which was part of the Seven Years' War. |
| Great War |
World War I. |
| hot war |
actual military combat; open warfare. (Cf. cold war.) |
| Hundred Years' War |
the series of wars fought between England and France from about the middle of the fourteenth century to the middle of the fifteenth century, which cost England most of its holdings in France. |
| man-o'-war bird |
see "frigate bird." |
| man-of-war |
a warship. [2 definitions] |
| Mexican War |
the war of 1846-48 between the United States and Mexico. |
| Portuguese man-of-war |
a sea hydrozoan found in warm oceans, having a bladderlike sac that resembles a sail and allows it to float, and trailing many long stinging tentacles that may inflict severe injury. |
| price war |
a situation in which competitive businesses lower their prices, often repeatedly, usu. attempting to drive each other out of business. |
| prisoner of war |
a member of the armed forces who is taken captive by an enemy during wartime. |
| Revolutionary War |
the war of 1775-83 in which the American colonies won their independence from Great Britain; American Revolution. |
| Spanish Civil War |
a civil war fought in Spain between 1936 and 1939. |
| Spanish-American War |
the war fought in 1898 between the United States and Spain. |
| Thirty Years' War |
a series of European wars occurring from 1618 to 1648, originally between German Catholics and German Protestants but later involving Sweden, France, and Spain, from which France emerged as the most powerful nation in Europe. |