- [uncountable, countable]
a situation in which two or more countries or groups of people fight against each other over a period of time 战争；战争状态 the Second World War 第二次世界大战 the threat of (a) nuclear war 核战争威胁 to win/lose a/the war 战胜；战败 - war between A and B
the war between England and Scotland 英格兰和苏格兰之间的战争 - war with somebody
England's war with Scotland 英格兰与苏格兰的战争 - war against somebody
The war against Spain lasted 18 years. 对西班牙的战争持续了18年。 - war on somebody
It was the year Britain declared war on Germany. 那是英国对德国宣战的那一年。 - (formal)
In the Middle Ages England waged war on France. 在中世纪，英格兰向法国发动了战争。 He returned home to the US at the end of the war. 战争结束时，他回到了美国。 Social and political problems led to the outbreak (= the beginning) of war. 社会和政治问题导致了战争的爆发。 Where were you living when war broke out? 战争爆发时你住在哪儿？ The government does not want to go to war (= start a war) unless all other alternatives have failed. 除非所有其他方法都行不通，否则政府不希望开战。 The two countries fought a short but bloody war. 两个国家进行了一场短暂而血腥的战争。 My grandfather fought in the war. 我祖父参加过战争。 Her husband was killed during the war. 她的丈夫在战争中被杀了。 - at war
How long have they been at war? 他们交战有多长时间了？ a war hero/veteran 战争中的英雄; 参加过战争的老兵 More troops are being despatched to the war zone. 更多的部队被派往作战地区。 - (formal)
the theatre of war (= the area in which fighting takes place) 战区
Homophones war | worewar wore- war noun
It's in memory of the soldiers who gave their lives during the war. 这是为了纪念在战争中献出生命的士兵。
- wore verb (past tense of wear)
He wore his raincoat all day, even though it was sunny. 尽管天气晴朗，他还是整天穿着雨衣。
Collocations War and peacesee also civil war, cold war, council of war, phoney war, post-war, pre-war, prisoner of war, proxy war, warring, world warWar and peace 战争与和平 Starting a war 开战 - declare/make/wage war (on somebody/something)
（向…）宣战／挑起战争／发动战争 - go to war (against/with somebody)
（向…）开战 - cause/spark/provoke/foment/quell unrest
引起／平息骚乱 - incite/lead/crush/suppress a revolt/rebellion
煽动／领导／镇压起义／叛乱 - launch/mount/carry out a surprise/terrorist attack
发起／实施突然／恐怖袭击 - prevent/halt/represent an escalation of the conflict
防止／阻止／表明冲突升级 - be torn apart by/be on the brink of civil war
被内战搞得四分五裂；濒于内战 - enter/invade/occupy somebody’s territory
进入／侵略／占领某人的领土 - lead/launch/resist/repel an invasion
领导／发起／抵制／击退武装入侵
Military operations 军事行动 - adopt/develop/implement/pursue a military strategy
采用／发展／实施／执行军事战略 - carry out/execute/perform military operations/manoeuvres
- send/deploy/station/pull back/withdraw troops
派遣／部署／派驻／撤回部队 - go on/fly/carry out a reconnaissance/rescue mission
进行／驾机执行／执行侦察／营救任务 - train/equip/deploy army/military/combat units
训练／装备／部署陆军／军事／作战分队 - lead/launch/conduct a raid/a surprise attack/an (air/airborne/amphibious) assault (on somebody)
领导／发起／实施（对某人的）突然袭击／（空中／空投部队／登陆）攻击 - employ/use guerrilla tactics
采用游击战术 - conduct/wage biological/guerrilla warfare
进行／发动生物战／游击战 - fight/crush/defeat the rebels/the insurgency
设法战胜／镇压／挫败叛乱者／叛乱 - suffer/inflict a crushing defeat
遭受惨败；大获全胜 - achieve/win a decisive victory
赢得决定性的胜利 - halt/stop the British/German/Russian advance
阻止英国／德国／俄罗斯的前进 - order/force a retreat
命令／强迫撤退
Fighting 作战 - join/serve in the army/navy/air force
加入陆军／海军／空军；在陆军／海军／空军部队服役 - be/go/remain/serve on active duty
在服现役 - serve/complete/return from a tour of duty
在服役；服役完毕；服役归来 - be sent to the front (line)
被派往前线 - attack/strike/engage/defeat/kill/destroy the enemy
袭击／攻击敌人；与敌人交战；击败／杀死／消灭敌人 - see/report/be engaged in heavy fighting
目睹／报道／参与激战 - call for/be met with armed resistance
要求／遭遇武装抵抗 - come under heavy/machine-gun/mortar fire
冒着激烈的／机关枪的／迫击炮的射击 - fire a machine-gun/mortar shells/rockets (at somebody/something)
（对…）发射机关枪／迫击炮弹／火箭弹 - shoot a rifle/a pistol/bullets/missiles
步枪／手枪射击；发射子弹／导弹 - launch/fire a cruise/ballistic/anti-tank missile
发射巡航／弹道／反坦克导弹 - use biological/chemical/nuclear weapons
使用生物／化学／核武器 - inflict/suffer/sustain heavy losses/casualties
遭受惨重损失／伤亡 - be hit/killed by enemy/friendly/artillery fire
被敌军／友军／炮火击中／射死 - become/be held as a prisoner of war
成为战俘；作为战俘被监禁
Civilians in war 战争中的平民 - harm/kill/target/protect innocent/unarmed civilians
伤害／杀死／瞄准／保护无辜的／手无寸铁的平民 - cause/avoid/limit/minimize civilian casualties/collateral damage
导致／避免／限制／最大限度减少平民伤亡／附带性破坏 - impose/enforce/lift a curfew
强制实行／解除宵禁 - engage in/be a victim of ethnic cleansing
参与种族清洗；成为种族清洗的受害者 - be sent to an internment/a concentration camp
被送到俘虏拘留营／集中营 - accept/house/resettle refugees fleeing from war
接受／收容／安置战争难民 - fear/threaten military/violent reprisals
害怕／扬言要军事／暴力报复 - commit/be accused of war crimes/crimes against humanity/genocide
犯／被指控犯战争罪／反人类罪／种族灭绝罪
Making peace 和解 - make/bring/win/achieve/maintain/promote peace
促使／带来／赢得／实现／保持／促进和平 - call for/negotiate/broker/declare a ceasefire/a temporary truce
要求／商谈／协商／宣布停战／暂时休战 - sign a ceasefire agreement
签署停战协议 - call for/bring/put an end to hostilities
要求发动／引发／结束战争 - demand/negotiate/accept the surrender of somebody/something
强烈要求／商讨／接受…投降 - establish/send (in) a peacekeeping force
建立／派遣维和部队 - negotiate/conclude/ratify/sign/accept/reject/break/violate a peace treaty
商讨／达成／正式批准／签署／接受／拒绝／破坏／违反和平协定
Extra ExamplesTopics War and conflicta2Both candidates have distinguished war records. 两位候选人都曾在战争中有过出色表现。 Congress has made a formal declaration of war. 国会已经正式宣战。 Every available resource went towards the war effort. 一切可用的资源都投入到战备中去了。 He took part in the Vietnam War. 他参加过越南战争。 He was wounded twice during the course of the war. 他在战争期间受过两次伤。 In times of war, troops were billeted in the mill. 战时，部队驻扎在磨坊里。 My grandfather fought in the Korean War. 我爷爷参加过朝鲜战争。 Six years of total war had left no citizen untouched. 六年的全面战争让所有国民都受到了影响。 The Spartans were persuaded to make war on Athens. 斯巴达人被说服对雅典人发动了战争。 The US declared war on Japan. 美国对日宣战。 The United States entered the war in 1917. 美国于 1917 年参战。 The country has long been a theatre/theater of war. 这个国家长期以来一直在打仗。 The country was now in a state of war. 该国正处在交战状态。 The country went to war in 1914. 该国1914年卷入战争。 The crisis took Europe to the brink of war. 这场危机把欧洲推到了战争边缘。 The outcome of the war was far from certain. 战争的胜负还远未确定。 The terrorists were charged with waging war against the state. 恐怖分子被指控向那个国家发动战争。 The war raged for nearly two years. 激烈的战争持续了将近两年。 These aircraft are designed to take troops and weapons to any theatre of war in the shortest time possible. 设计这些飞机是为了在尽可能短的时间内将部队和武器运送到任何一个战区。 Unexploded mines were a big danger to civilians in the aftermath of the war. 战后，没爆炸的地雷对平民构成了重大威胁。 a country at war 交战国 a war of liberation 解放战争 critiques of the mainstream media's war coverage 对主流媒体有关战争报道的评论 killed in war 阵亡 talks to prevent the war from escalating 阻止战争升级的会谈 the Greek war for independence 希腊独立战争 the Soviet war machine 苏联战争机器 the shortage of food during the war years 战争年代的食物短缺 the war against the French 反法战争 the war correspondent of a daily newspaper 一家日报的战地记者 war between Iran and Iraq 两伊战争 The USA declared war on Germany in 1917. 美国于1917年向德国宣战。 The two countries were at war for eight years. 两国之间的战争打了八年。 When war broke out he became separated from his family. 战争爆发时，他与家人失散了。
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- long
- short
- impending
- …
- be in
- fight in
- fight
- …
- approach
- loom
- threaten
- …
- years
- hero
- veteran
- …
- at war
- between the wars
- in (a/the) war
- …
- the aftermath of the war
- the brink of war
- the course of a/the war
- …
- [countable, uncountable]
a situation in which there is aggressive competition between groups, companies, countries, etc. （群体、公司、国家之间的）竞争，斗争，对抗，冲突 - war with somebody
The US threatened a trade war with Europe after the breakdown of the talks. 会谈破裂后，美国威胁说要与欧洲展开贸易战。 - war against/on somebody
They launched a trade war against France. 他们对法国发动了贸易战。
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- long
- short
- impending
- …
- be in
- fight in
- fight
- …
- approach
- loom
- threaten
- …
- years
- hero
- veteran
- …
- at war
- between the wars
- in (a/the) war
- …
- the aftermath of the war
- the brink of war
- the course of a/the war
- …
- war with somebody
- [uncountable, singular]
a fight or an effort over a long period of time to get rid of or stop something unpleasant （为消灭有害事物的）长期斗争；顽强抵御 - war on somebody/something
The government has declared war on drug dealers. 政府已向贩毒分子宣战。 Our two countries work together in fighting the war on terrorism. 我们两国共同打击恐怖主义。 - war against somebody/something
We seem to be winning the war against crime. 我们在打击犯罪方面似乎已做出成绩。 a war against drug abuse 反毒品战争
Synonyms campaigncampaign- battle
- struggle
- drive
- war
- fight
- campaign a series of planned activities that are intended to achieve a particular social, commercial or political aim:
the campaign for parliamentary reform 要求议会改革的运动 an advertising campaign 广告宣传运动（以推销某产品）
- battle a competition or argument between people or groups of people trying to win power or control:
She finally won the legal battle for compensation. 她终于赢得了这场要求赔偿的法律斗争。 the endless battle between man and nature 人与大自然永无休止的斗争
- struggle a competition or argument between people or groups of people trying to win power or control:
the struggle for independence 为独立的斗争 the struggle between good and evil 正邪之争
battle or struggle? 用 battle 还是 struggle？ - drive an organized effort by a group of people to achieve something:
the drive for greater efficiency 为提高效率而作出的努力 a drive to reduce energy consumption 为减少能源消耗而发起的运动
campaign or drive? 用 campaign 还是 drive？ - war [sing.] an effort over a long period of time to get rid of or stop something bad:
the war against crime 反犯罪活动的斗争
- fight [sing.] the work of trying to stop or prevent something bad or achieve something good; an act of competing, especially in a sport:
Workers won their fight to stop compulsory redundancies. 工人赢得了阻止强制裁员的斗争。
war or fight? 用 war 还是 fight？ - a campaign/battle/struggle/drive/war/fight against something
- a campaign/battle/struggle/drive/fight for something
- a one-man/one-woman/personal campaign/battle/struggle/war
- a bitter campaign/battle/struggle/drive/war/fight
- to launch/embark on a campaign/battle/drive
- to lead/continue the campaign/battle/struggle/drive/fight
- to win/lose a battle/struggle/war/fight
- war on somebody/something
Word Originlate Old English werre, from an Anglo-Norman French variant of Old French guerre, from a Germanic base shared by worse.
Idioms
all’s fair in love and war
- (saying)
in some situations any type of behaviour is acceptable to get what you want 在情场和战场上可以不择手段
have been in the wars
a war of nerves
an attempt to defeat your opponents by putting pressure on them so that they lose courage or confidence 神经战（利用心理压力摧毁对方的斗志） The union has been fighting a war of nerves with the management over pay. 工会一直在为薪酬的事与资方进行心理战。
a war of words
a bitter argument over a period of time between two or more people or groups 舌战；论战 the political war of words over tax 有关税收问题的政治论战