1
: military operations between enemies : hostilities, war
also
: an activity undertaken by a political unit (such as a nation) to weaken or destroy another
economic warfare
2
: struggle between competing entities : conflict
see also biological warfare, chemical warfare, cyber warfare, germ warfare, psychological warfare, trench warfare
Synonyms
Examples of warfare in a Sentence
that troubled household seems to be almost constantly in a state of warfare
companies engaged in constant warfare for dominance in the market for smart phones and tablets
Recent Examples on the Web
It is used for anti-submarine warfare or underwater acoustic research.
—
Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 27 June 2024
But the relatives who accompanied her on the journey to superstardom are now waging familial warfare.
—Brittny Mejia, Los Angeles Times, 26 June 2024
Yet, because superintelligent AI could be a decisive advantage in warfare and bring tremendous economic benefits, military powers will have strong incentives to engage in an arms race for it.
—Ray Kurzweil, TIME, 25 June 2024
The war in Ukraine, with its trench lines, tank battles, and artillery duels, marks a return to the sort of warfare that many had hoped was consigned to the dustbin of history.
—Joshua Keating, Vox, 18 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for warfare 
Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 27 June 2024
But the relatives who accompanied her on the journey to superstardom are now waging familial warfare.
—Brittny Mejia, Los Angeles Times, 26 June 2024
Yet, because superintelligent AI could be a decisive advantage in warfare and bring tremendous economic benefits, military powers will have strong incentives to engage in an arms race for it.
—Ray Kurzweil, TIME, 25 June 2024
The war in Ukraine, with its trench lines, tank battles, and artillery duels, marks a return to the sort of warfare that many had hoped was consigned to the dustbin of history.
—Joshua Keating, Vox, 18 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for warfare
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'warfare.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near warfare
Cite this Entry
“Warfare.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/warfare. Accessed 4 Jul. 2024.
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warfare
noun
war·fare
ˈwȯr-ˌfa(ə)r 
-ˌfe(ə)r
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