cold war

noun

Definition of cold warnext
as in world war

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of cold war Not just because Cubans could get online, but also because Cuba and the United States had reestablished diplomatic relations, ending decades of cold war, and the news attracted foreign media attention to the island. — Abraham Jiménez Enoa, The Dial, 19 May 2026 Xi Jinping is angling to win a cold war with the United States. — ABC News, 12 May 2026 Per a source, that cold war continued through the offseason. — Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 7 Apr. 2026 The theory posited that wars in the post-cold war era would be fought along religious divides, bringing the West and the Islamic states such as Iran to clash. — Debidatta A. Mahapatra, The Orlando Sentinel, 7 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for cold war
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cold war
  1. world war
  2. civil war
  3. holy war
  4. limited war
Noun
  • But it was established in 1945 to avoid the staggering human and financial costs of another world war.
    — Elizabeth Shackelford, Chicago Tribune, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Born in 1946, in a country recovering from a civil war and a world war, Rodríguez entered a life marked by poverty in the southern Spanish village of Añora.
    — Laura Sharman, CNN Money, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of world war
Noun
  • Approximately eleven thousand Salvadorans are missing in the past decade alone, more than the number of people disappeared during El Salvador’s entire civil war.
    — Daniel Peña, Literary Hub, 7 Oct. 2026
  • The escalation has revived Yemen’s civil war after a four-year ceasefire.
    — Samy Magdy, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of civil war
Noun
  • Yet, somehow, the labels jihad, holy war and suicide martyrs are still thrown around.
    — Reshma Memon Yaqub, Rolling Stone, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Even a local Catholic priest launched a holy war against the school over its new athletic facility.
    — Matthew Sedacca, Curbed, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of holy war
Noun
  • In this scenario, which may already be coming to fruition, the meager hope is that the conflict transforms into simply a more limited war.
    — Daniel Byman, Foreign Affairs, 5 Apr. 2024
  • Many scholars panned the book, believing its 34-year-old author had overestimated the nation’s ability to keep limited war limited.
    — David E. Sanger, New York Times, 30 Nov. 2023
Definition of limited war

Browse Nearby Words

cold turkey
cold war
cold wars
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Cite this Entry

“Cold war.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cold%20war. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on cold war

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about cold war

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