Collocations for "war"
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word "war" in context.
WordReference English Collocations © 2025
war
ⓘMost examples are given in US English. We have labeled exceptions as UK.n
- a [long, short, brutal, bloody, needless] war
- not a [typical, conventional] war
- a [10-week, five-year] war
- (a) [nuclear, technological, chemical] war
- the [Gulf, Korean, Second World] War
- a [tax, price] war
- a war [caused, brought about] by [religion, political differences]
- (the) war [broke out, started] in
- the (two) countries [went to, were at] war
- [went to] war with
- a war between [nations, enemies, friends, family members, ideologies]
- a war over [religion, territory, ideology]
- the war against [HIV, poverty, famine]
- the war on [terror, drugs, poverty]
- declare war on the [terrorists, enemy, enemies, rebels]
- wage war on [crime, fraud, trafficking]
- [start, avoid] a war
- [end, win, lose] the war
- war and peace
- have won the battle, but not the war
- was [caught up, involved] in a war of words
- [companies, businesses] were engaged in a [price] war
- UK: (have been) in the wars
- during the war
- between the wars
- war [games, strategies, tanks]
- the war memorial
- the War Room
- was a war baby
- post-war [Britain, baby boom, society]
- [in, during] the pre-war [years]
- war with their [neighbors, enemies]
- warring against [Russia]
- warring against [poverty, exploitation, hunger]
- warred amongst themselves
'war' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
American
- French
- Germany
- God
- Japanese
- Lord
- accord
- action
- aftermath
- age
- aid
- all
- ally
- already
- alter
- approach
- archive
- arm
- army
- art
- article
- aspect
- associate
- attempt
- attribute
- attrition
- author
- avert
- axis
- back
- backed
- bad off
- battle
- beckon
- before
- bidding
- blackout
- blame
- bloody
- blunder
- bomb
- brother
- camp
- captive
- casualty
- cause
- century
- certain
- chapter
- class