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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Word History and Origins

Origin of state of war¹

First recorded in 1945–50

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

It was, he said, an example of Ukraine's ability to investigate and prosecute war crimes impartially, despite being the victim and under an ongoing state of war from the aggressor.

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"The drones came to us and we returned to a state of war and the lack of safety," she told the BBC.

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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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State of the Union message state police

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