civil war

American  

[siv-uhl wawr] / ˈsɪv əl ˈwɔr /

noun

1. a war between political factions or regions within the same country.

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Civil War ¹ British  

noun

1. English history the conflict between Charles I and the Parliamentarians resulting from disputes over their respective prerogatives. Parliament gained decisive victories at Marston Moor in 1644 and Naseby in 1645, and Charles was executed in 1649

2. history the war fought from 1861 to 1865 between the North and the South, sparked off by Lincoln's election as president but with deep-rooted political and economic causes, exacerbated by the slavery issue. The advantages of the North in terms of population, finance, and communications brought about the South's eventual surrender at Appomattox

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civil war ² British  

noun

1. war between parties, factions, or inhabitants of different regions within the same nation

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Civil War Cultural  

1. The war fought in the United States between northern (Union) and southern (Confederate) states from 1861 to 1865, in which the Confederacy sought to establish itself as a separate nation. The Civil War is also known as the War for Southern Independence and as the War between the States. The war grew out of deep-seated differences between the social structure and economy of North and South, most notably over slavery; generations of political maneuvers had been unable to overcome these differences (see Missouri Compromise and Compromise of 1850). The secession of the southern states began in late 1860, after Abraham Lincoln was elected president. The Confederacy was formed in early 1861. The fighting began with the Confederate attack on Fort Sumter. Most of the battles took place in the South, but one extremely crucial episode, the Battle of Gettysburg, was fought in the North. The war ended with the surrender of General Robert E. Lee to General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House. (See Battle of Bull Run, Battle of Chancellorsville, Emancipation Proclamation, and Sherman's march to the sea.)

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The Civil War has been the most serious test yet of the ability of the United States to remain one nation.

Etymology

Origin of civil war

First recorded in 1540–50

Example Sentences

Lebanese of all religions have emigrated in recent decades because of civil war, economic crises and periodic conflicts with Israel.

From The Wall Street Journal

People escaping the civil war in Sudan now need visas to enter Egypt, or run the risk of deportation.

From The Wall Street Journal

Myanmar's military ousted the Nobel laureate's elected government and seized power in a 2021 coup, sparking a civil war.

From Barron's

The east African nation saw civil war in the 1990s mutate in the 2000s into an Islamist insurgency that still threatens much of the country.

From Barron's

Around 436 B.C., a “quarrel in a faraway county” of which neither Athenians nor Spartans knew much broke out into civil war in the colony of Epidamnus.

From The Wall Street Journal