STATE OF WAR Definition & Meaning

state of war

noun

a condition marked by armed conflict between or among states, existing whether or not war has been declared formally by any of the belligerents.
a legal condition initiated and concluded by formal declaration, and not necessarily involving armed conflict.
the duration of such a condition.

state of war

noun

a period of armed conflict between states, regardless of whether or not war has been officially declared
a legal condition begun by a declaration of war and ended formally, during which the rules of international law applicable to warfare may be invoked

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51�Թ� History and Origins

Origin of state of war¹

First recorded in 1945–50

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Sinha merges the depressing and inspiring in her recounting of Reconstruction, when the U.S. emerged from a state of war as a flawed but budding multiracial democracy.

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"Daniel Noboa represents fear, and we represent hope, change. We do not want a state of war, we want peace," she said.

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And Britain had declared a state of war throughout the vast British Empire.

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But another said: "Iranians themselves are in a state of war with the current regime. We harbour no animosity towards any nation, including Israel."

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"A lot of video games mainly portray Arabs as either terrorists or in a constant state of war, which is really unfair," she says.

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