1. [n]  a concerted campaign to end something that is injurious; "the war on poverty"; "the war against crime"
2. [n]  the waging of armed conflict against an enemy; "thousands of people were killed in the war"
3. [n]  an active struggle between competing entities; "a price war"; "a war of wits"; "diplomatic warfare"
4. [n]  a legal state created by a declaration of war and ended by official declaration during which the international rules of war apply; "war was declared in November but actual fighting did not begin until the following spring"
5. [v]  make or wage war

1. \War\, a.
   Ware; aware. [Obs.] --Chaucer.
   

2. \War\, n. [OE. & AS. werre; akin to OHG. werra scandal,
   quarrel, sedition, werran to confound, mix, D. warren, G.
   wirren, verwirren, to embroil, confound, disturb, and perhaps
   to E. worse; cf. OF. werre war, F. querre, of Teutonic
   origin. Cf. {Guerrilla}, {Warrior}.]
   1. A contest between nations or states, carried on by force,
      whether for defence, for revenging insults and redressing
      wrongs, for the extension of commerce, for the acquisition
      of territory, for obtaining and establishing the
      superiority and dominion of one over the other, or for any
      other purpose; armed conflict of sovereign powers;
      declared and open hostilities.
            Men will ever distinguish war from mere bloodshed.
                                                  --F. W.
                                                  Robertson.
   Note: As war is the contest of nations or states, it always
         implies that such contest is authorized by the monarch
         or the sovereign power of the nation. A war begun by
         attacking another nation, is called an offensive war,
         and such attack is aggressive. War undertaken to repel
         invasion, or the attacks of an enemy, is called
         defensive.
   2. (Law) A condition of belligerency to be maintained by
      physical force. In this sense, levying war against the
      sovereign authority is treason.
   3. Instruments of war. [Poetic]
            His complement of stores, and total war. --Prior.
   4. Forces; army. [Poetic]
            On their embattled ranks the waves return, And
            overwhelm their war.                  --Milton.
   5. The profession of arms; the art of war.
            Thou art but a youth, and he is a man of war from
            his youth.                            --1 Sam. xvii.
                                                  33.
   6. a state of opposition or contest; an act of opposition; an
      inimical contest, act, or action; enmity; hostility.
      ``Raised impious war in heaven.'' --Milton.
            The words of his mouth were smoother than butter,
            but war was in his heart.             --Ps. lv. 21.
   {Civil war}, a war between different sections or parties of
      the same country or nation.
   {Holy war}. See under {Holy}.
   {Man of war}. (Naut.) See in the Vocabulary.
   {Public war}, a war between independent sovereign states.
   {War cry}, a cry or signal used in war; as, the Indian war
      cry.
   {War dance}, a dance among savages preliminary to going to
      war. Among the North American Indians, it is begun by some
      distinguished chief, and whoever joins in it thereby
      enlists as one of the party engaged in a warlike
      excursion. --Schoolcraft.
   {War field}, a field of war or battle.
   {War horse}, a horse used in war; the horse of a cavalry
      soldier; especially, a strong, powerful, spirited horse
      for military service; a charger.
   {War paint}, paint put on the face and other parts of the
      body by savages, as a token of going to war. ``Wash the
      war paint from your faces.'' --Longfellow.
   {War song}, a song of or pertaining to war; especially, among
      the American Indians, a song at the war dance, full of
      incitements to military ardor.
   {War whoop}, a war cry, especially that uttered by the
      American Indians.
   

3. \War\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Warred}; p. pr. & vb. n.
   {Warring}.]
   1. To make war; to invade or attack a state or nation with
      force of arms; to carry on hostilities; to be in a state
      by violence.
            Rezin the king of Syria, and Pekah the son of
            Remaliah, king of Israel, went up toward Jerusalem
            to war against it.                    --Isa. vii. 1.
            Why should I war without the walls of Troy? --Shak.
            Our countrymen were warring on that day! --Byron.
   2. To contend; to strive violently; to fight. ``Lusts which
      war against the soul.'' --1 Pet. ii. 11.
   

4. \War\, v. t.
   1. To make war upon; to fight. [R.]
            To war the Scot, and borders to defend. --Daniel.
   2. To carry on, as a contest; to wage. [R.]
            That thou . . . mightest war a good warfare. --Tim.
                                                  i. 18.
   

The Israelites had to take possession of the Promised Land by conquest. They had to engage in a long and bloody war before the Canaanitish tribes were finally subdued. Except in the case of Jericho and Ai, the war did not become aggressive till after the death of Joshua. Till then the attack was always first made by the Canaanites. Now the measure of the iniquity of the Canaanites was full, and Israel was employed by God to sweep them away from off the face of the earth. In entering on this new stage of the war, the tribe of Judah, according to divine direction, took the lead.

In the days of Saul and David the people of Israel engaged in many wars with the nations around, and after the division of the kingdom into two they often warred with each other. They had to defend themselves also against the inroads of the Egyptians, the Assyrians, and the Babylonians. The whole history of Israel from first to last presents but few periods of peace.

The Christian life is represented as a warfare, and the Christian graces are also represented under the figure of pieces of armour (Eph. 6:11-17; 1 Thess. 5:8; 2 Tim. 2:3, 4). The final blessedness of believers is attained as the fruit of victory (Rev. 3:21).