phoney war

proper noun

During World War II, the period of limited military activity from the outbreak of hostilities on September 3rd, 1939 until Germany's attack on the Low Countries on May 10th, 1940.

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Meanings

phoney war1

proper nounthe phoney war
  1. Alternative letter-case form of Phoney War.

Phoney War2

proper nounthe Phoney War

alternative Phony War · alternative phoney war

  1. historicalDuring World War II, the period of limited military activity from the outbreak of hostilities on September 3rd, 1939 until Germany's attack on the Low Countries on May 10th, 1940.

    Study of the Phoney War, especially on the Franco-German front, is still limited.

    2019, Maude Williams, Bernard Wilkin, French Soldiers' Morale in the Phoney War, 1939–1940, Routledge, →ISBN

Origin

Attributed to US senator William Borah.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Dutch schemeroorlog
  • schemeroorlogPhoney War
Estonian kummaline sõda
  • kummaline sõdaPhoney War
Finnish valesota
  • valesotaPhoney War
French drôle de guerre
  • drôle de guerrePhoney War
German Sitzkrieg
  • SitzkriegPhoney War
Hungarian furcsa háború
  • furcsa háborúPhoney War
Lithuanian keistasis karas
  • keistasis karasPhoney War
Polish dziwna wojna
  • dziwna wojnaPhoney War
Russian странная война
  • странная война (strannaja vojna)Phoney War
Spanish guerra de broma
  • guerra de bromaPhoney War
Cite this entry
APA

phoney war. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/phoney%20war

MLA

“phoney war.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/phoney%20war. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “phoney war,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/phoney%20war.

Source: phoney war on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.