1. Hostile conflict by means of armed forces, carried on between nations, states, or rulers, or sometimes between parties within the same nation or state; a period of such conflict (the Gulf War). • A state of war may also exist without armed conflict; for example, the treaty formally ending the World War II state of war between the United States and Japan was signed seven years after the fighting ended in 1945. [Cases: War and National Emergency
1. C.J.S. War and National Defense §§ 1, 5.]
civil war. An internal armed conflict between people of the same nation; esp. (usu. cap.), the war from 1861 to 1865, resulting from the Confederate states’ attempted secession from the Union.
imperfect war. A war limited in terms of places, persons, and things.
mixed war. A war between a nation and private individuals.
perfect war. A war involving an entire nation against another.
private war. A war between private persons.
public war. A war between two nations under authority of their respective governments.
solemn war. A war formally declared — esp. by public declaration — by one country against another.
2. A dispute or competition between adversaries (fare wars are common in the airline industry).
3. A struggle to solve a pervasive problem (America’s war against drugs).
