Meanings
plural states of war
- A state of armed conflict between states, irrespective of a declaration of war.
In 1924 the Hashemite King Hussein was driven out of the Hedjaz by Ibn Saud, and a state of war sprang up between the new kingdoms of Saudi Arabia and Trans-Jordan.
1956 March, R. C. Blaker, “The Hedjaz Railway”, in Railway Magazine, page 1671 more example
I ask that the Congress declare, that since the unprovoked and dastardly attack by Japan on Sunday, December 7th, 1941, a state of war has existed between the United States and the Japanese Empire.
1941 December 8, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, 6:42 from the start, in Day of Infamy Speech, Washington, D.C.
Synonyms & antonyms
nouna legal state created by a declaration of war and ended by official declaration during which the international rules of war apply
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Translations
Chinese Mandarin 戰爭狀態 /战争状态
- 戰爭狀態 /战争状态armed conflict between states
Finnish sotatila
- sotatilaarmed conflict between states
French état de guerre
- état de guerrearmed conflict between states
Romanian stare de război
- stare de războiarmed conflict between states
Russian состояние войны
- состояние войны (sostojanije vojny)armed conflict between states
Cite this entry
state of war. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/state%20of%20war
“state of war.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/state%20of%20war. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “state of war,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/state%20of%20war.
Source: state of war on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.