declare war
idiom
: to officially decide to fight or go to war
Congress has the power to declare war on/against other countries.
—often used figurativelyThe state has declared war on illiteracy.
Examples of declare war in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Kaine, a longtime proponent of Congress' powers to declare war, filed the resolution late Thursday, a move that will force the Senate to take up the legislation after a 10-day waiting period.
—
Claudia Grisales, NPR, 17 Oct. 2025
Assuming the British Prime Minister doesn’t declare war or arrange to have one of them assassinated or something!
—Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 17 Oct. 2025
The Charlie Kirk Act must declare war on subversion at home, or America's enemies abroad will conclude that the nation has lost its will.
—Ayaan Hirsi Ali, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Sep. 2025
If the president were to decide on direct military action, then Congress would likely be involved in some capacity – and, of course, only Congress has the power to declare war.
—John Deni, The Conversation, 10 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for declare war
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Claudia Grisales, NPR, 17 Oct. 2025
Assuming the British Prime Minister doesn’t declare war or arrange to have one of them assassinated or something!
—Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 17 Oct. 2025
The Charlie Kirk Act must declare war on subversion at home, or America's enemies abroad will conclude that the nation has lost its will.
—Ayaan Hirsi Ali, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Sep. 2025
If the president were to decide on direct military action, then Congress would likely be involved in some capacity – and, of course, only Congress has the power to declare war.
—John Deni, The Conversation, 10 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for declare war
Cite this Entry
“Declare war.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/declare%20war. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share