War War is an armed conflict between the armed forces of states, or between governmental forces and armed groups that are organized under a certain command structure and have the capacity to sustain military operations, or between such organi ...

is a large-scale armed conflict and the term is used as a metaphor for non-military conflicts. War or WAR may also refer to:

Places

War, West Virginia War is a city in McDowell County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 690 at the 2020 census. War was incorporated in 1920 by the Circuit Court of McDowell County. Its name is derived from War Creek, whose confluence with Dry For ...

* War Creek, a stream in West Virginia *

Warwickshire Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It is bordered by Staffordshire and Leicestershire to the north, Northamptonshire to the east, Ox ...

county in England, standard code

Music

Performers

War (band) War (originally called Eric Burdon and War) is an American R&B and progressive soul band from Long Beach, California, formed in 1969. The band is known for several hit songs in the 1970s (including " Spill the Wine", " The World Is a Ghetto ...

, an American 1970s funk band

Albums

* ''War'' (Bolt Thrower album), 2010 * ''War'' (Born from Pain album), 2006 * ''War'' (Demon Hunter album), 2019 * ''War'' (U2 album), 1983 * War, a cancelled album by

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer and record producer. One of the most prominent figures in hip-hop, he is known for his varying musical style and polarizing cultural and political commentary. After ...

* ''War'' (War album), by the American band * ''War'' (2019 soundtrack), soundtrack for the 2019 Indian film by Vishal–Shekhar, Sanchit Balhara and Ankit Balhara * ''The War'' (album), a 2017 album by South Korean-Chinese boy group EXO * '' W.A.R. (We Are Renegades)'', by American hip hop artist Pharoahe Monch

Songs

* "The War" (Angels & Airwaves song) * "War" (Bob Marley song), 1976 * "War" (Bone Thugs-n-Harmony song), 1998 * "War" (Drake song), 2019 * "War" (Henry Cow song), 1975 * "War" (King Von song), 2022 * "The War" (The New Power Generation song) * "War" (Pop Smoke song), featuring Lil Tjay, 2019 * "War" (The Temptations song), 1970, also covered by Edwin Starr * "

The War Song "The War Song" is a song by British band Culture Club, featuring background vocals from Clare Torry. It was released as the lead single from the band's third album, '' Waking Up with the House on Fire'' (1984), in September 1984. The song becam ...

", by Culture Club * "War", by Amorphis from ''

Halo HALO, halo, halos or haloes may refer to: Most common meanings * Halo (optical phenomenon) * Halo (religious iconography), a ring of light around the image of a head * ''Halo'' (franchise), a sci-fi video game series (2001–2021) Arts and en ...

'' * "War", by

ArrDee Riley Jason Davies (born 17 September 2002), known professionally as ArrDee, is a British rapper. His debut mixtape, '' Pier Pressure'', was released on 18 March 2022, peaking at number 2 on the UK Singles Chart. ArrDee has received multiple ...

and Aitch, 2022 * "War", by Bathory from '' Bathory'' * "War", by Burzum from ''

Burzum Burzum (; ) is a Norwegian music project founded by former Mayhem member Varg Vikernes in 1991. Although Burzum never played live performances, it became a staple of the early Norwegian black metal scene and is considered one of the most infl ...

'' * "War", by The Devil Wears Prada from '' 8:18'' * "War", by Devin Townsend from ''

Infinity Infinity is something which is boundless, endless, or larger than any natural number. It is denoted by \infty, called the infinity symbol. From the time of the Ancient Greek mathematics, ancient Greeks, the Infinity (philosophy), philosophic ...

'' * "WAR!", by DragonForce from ''

Reaching into Infinity ''Reaching into Infinity'' is the seventh studio album by British power metal band DragonForce, released on 19 May 2017. It is the band's first studio album to feature drummer Gee Anzalone and the last to feature longtime keyboardist Vadim Pruzh ...

'' * "War", by Good Charlotte from ''

Youth Authority ''Youth Authority'' is the sixth studio album by American rock band Good Charlotte. The band went on hiatus following the release of ''Cardiology'' (2010), with the members shifting focus to their families. During this downtime, Benji and Joel Ma ...

'' * "War", by Idles from ''

Ultra Mono ''Ultra Mono'' is the third studio album by British rock band Idles, released on 25 September 2020 by Partisan Records. Following on from their previous album '' Joy as an Act of Resistance'', the album further explores themes established in th ...

'' * "War", by James Horner from '' Avatar: Music from the Motion Picture'' * "War", by Jay Sean from '' All or Nothing'' * "War", by Joe Satriani from '' The Extremist'' * "The War", a 2020 song by Joyner Lucas from the album ''

ADHD Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterised by symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity, impulsivity, and emotional dysregulation that are excessive and pervasive, impairing in multiple ...

'' * "War", by Judas Priest from ''

Nostradamus Michel de Nostredame (December 1503 – July 1566), usually Latinisation of names, Latinised as Nostradamus, was a French Astrology, astrologer, apothecary, physician, and reputed Oracle, seer, who is best known for his book ''Les Prophéti ...

'' * "The War", a 2016 song by Leeland from the album ''

Invisible Invisibility is the state of an object that cannot be seen. An object in this state is said to be ''invisible'' (literally, "not visible"). The phenomenon is studied by physics and perceptual psychology. Since objects can be seen by light fr ...

'' * "War", by Linkin Park from ''The Hunting Party'' * "War", by Meshuggah from ''

Rare Trax ''Rare Trax'' is the first compilation album by Swedish extreme metal band Meshuggah. It was released on 21 August 2001 by Nuclear Blast. It compiles the three songs from the band's first 1989 release, ''Meshuggah'', along with other rare songs ...

'' * "War", by OutKast from ''

Speakerboxxx/The Love Below ''Speakerboxxx/The Love Below'' is the fifth studio album by the American hip-hop duo Outkast. It was released on September 23, 2003, by Arista Records. Issued as a double album, its length of over two hours is spread across solo records by Big ...

'' * "War", by Persuader from '' The Fiction Maze'' * "War", by Poets of the Fall from ''

Twilight Theater ''Twilight Theater'' is the fourth studio album by the Finnish rock band Poets of the Fall. It was released in Finland as well as on iTunes on 17 March 2010

'' * "War", by Sean Kingston from '' Tomorrow'' * "War", by Shadows Fall from ''Retribution'' (uses same lyrics as Bob Marley's song "War") * "War?", by System of a Down from '' System of a Down'' * "War", by Goo Goo Dolls from '' Chaos in Bloom'' * "War", by Venom Inc., 2017 * "War", by War of Ages from ''

Dominion A dominion was any of several largely self-governance, self-governing countries of the British Empire, once known collectively as the ''British Commonwealth of Nations''. Progressing from colonies, their degrees of self-governing colony, colon ...

'' * "War", by Wumpscut from '' Embryodead'' * "War!", by

Zach Callison Zachry Dean Callison (born October 23, 1997) is an American actor and singer. He is primarily known as the voice of the titular character Steven in the ''Steven Universe'' franchise. Career Callison began acting on television in 2009, with ...

from ''A Picture Perfect Hollywood Heartbreak'' * "Street Fighter (War)", by Sick Puppies from '' Tri-Polar''; used in commercials for the game ''Street Fighter IV''

Computing

* Write after read, a data dependency

hazard A hazard is a potential source of harm. Substances, events, or circumstances can constitute hazards when their nature would potentially allow them to cause damage to health, life, property, or any other interest of value. The probability of that ...

WAR (file format) In software engineering, a WAR file (Web Application Resource or Web application ARchive) is a file used to distribute a collection of JAR (file format), JAR-files, Jakarta Server Pages, Jakarta Servlets, Java (programming language), Java class (f ...

(''Web application ARchive''), a file format used to package Java applications * early versions of Decwar, a pioneering multi-user computer game *

War dialing Wardialing (or war dialing) is a technique to automatically scan a list of telephone numbers, usually dialing every number in a local area code to search for modems, computers, bulletin board systems ( computer servers) and fax machines. Hacke ...

, the act of detecting online, modem-accessible systems by having a computer dial a set of numbers *

Wardriving Wardriving is the act of searching for Wi-Fi wireless networks as well as cell towers, usually from a moving vehicle, using a laptop or smartphone. Software for wardriving is freely available on the internet. Warbiking, warcycling, warwalking ...

, the act of detecting wireless networking systems detecting by driving around with a Wi-Fi-equipped device *

Warchalking Warchalking is the drawing of symbols in public places to advertise an open Wi-Fi network. Inspired by hobo symbols, the warchalking marks were conceived by a group of friends in June 2002 and published by Matt Jones who designed the set of icon ...

, notices drawn to alert people to the presence of Wi-Fi networks

Organizations

White Aryan Resistance White Aryan Resistance (WAR) is a white supremacist and neo-Nazi organization in the United States which was founded and formerly led by former Ku Klux Klan Grand Dragon Tom Metzger. It was based in Warsaw, Indiana, and it was also incorpora ...

, an Indiana neo-Nazi white supremacist organization * Wyatt Archaeological Research, an organization founded by amateur archaeologist Ron Wyatt *

Voina Voina ( rus, Война, p=vɐjˈna, a=Ru-война.ogg, t=War) is a Russian street-art group known for their provocative and politically charged works of performance art. The group has had more than sixty members, including former and curren ...

(meaning "War" in Russian), a Moscow-based performance artist collective *

Women Against Registry Women Against Registry (W.A.R.) is a U.S. non-profit organization, based in Arnold, Missouri, which works to obtain changes in laws affecting sex offenders. Most W.A.R. members are mothers, wives, girlfriends, and other family members of persons co ...

, a sex offender law reform organization * De WAR, a Dutch centre for arts and citizen science in Amersfoort

Wrestling

WAR (wrestling promotion) Wrestle Association R (formerly known as Wrestle and Romance and abbreviated as WAR) was a Japanese professional wrestling promotion founded and run by Genichiro Tenryu as the successor to Super World of Sports, and which lasted from 1992 to 20 ...

, a Japanese professional wrestling promotion known as Wrestle Association R * Wrestling Academy Rorbas, a Swiss professional wrestling promotion * W.A.R. Wrestling, an American independent wrestling promotion

Games

War (card game) War (also known as Battle in the United Kingdom) is a simple card game, typically played by two players using a standard playing card deck — and often played by children. There are many variations, as well as related games such as the Germ ...

, a two player card game typically using Anglo-American playing card deck * a Brazilian variation of the board game ''Risk'' * '' WARS Trading Card Game'' by Decipher * ''Wars'' (series), a Nintendo video game series * '' Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning'', a 2008 MMO video game * '' W.A.R.'', a 1986 video game

Film

War film War film is a film genre concerned with warfare, typically about navy, naval, air force, air, or army, land battles, with combat scenes central to the drama. It has been strongly associated with the 20th century. The fateful nature of battle s ...

, a genre of film

Films

* ''

The Wars ''The Wars'' is a 1977 novel by Timothy Findley that follows Robert Ross, a nineteen-year-old Canadian who enlists in World War I after the death of his beloved older sister in an attempt to escape both his grief and the social norms of oppressiv ...

'', a 1983 Canadian historical drama film based on the 1977 novel by Timothy Findley * ''The War'' (1994 film), a 1994 film starring Elijah Wood and Kevin Costner * ''War'' (2002 film), a 2002 Russian film about the Second Chechen War * ''War'' (2007 film), a 2007 Jet Li and Jason Statham film * ''

War, Inc. ''War, Inc.'' is a 2008 American political film, political action comedy film directed by Joshua Seftel and starring John Cusack and Hilary Duff. Cusack also co-wrote and produced the film. Plot In a bar in Nunavut, hitman Brand Hauser shoots ...

'', a 2008 American political satire film * ''War'' (2014 film), a 2014 Swiss film * ''War'' (2019 film), an Indian action thriller film directed by Siddharth Anand, part of the ''YRF Spy Universe''

Television

Episodes

Shows

* ''War'' (miniseries), a 1983 Canadian television miniseries * ''The War'' (miniseries), a 2007 television documentary about World War II by Ken Burns * ''

The Chaser's War on Everything ''The Chaser's War on Everything'' is an Australian television satire, satirical comedy series broadcast on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) television station ABC1. It has won an Australian Film Institute Awards, Australian Film In ...

'' or simply ''The War'', an Australian television comedy series

Literature

Fiction

* ''War'' (), a 1934 novel by Louis Ferdinand Céline * ''

'' (), a 1970 novel by J. M. G. Le Clézio * ''War'', a 1994 play by

Dennis Foon Dennis Foon (born 18 November 1951) is a Canadian playwright, producer, screenwriter and novelist. He was co-founder and artistic director for 12 years of Green Thumb Theatre in Vancouver, British Columbia. There he wrote and produced a body of ...

* ''War'' (novel), a 1996 novel by Simon Hawke; the third installment in the ''Birthright'' series * ''War'', a 1999 novel by

Peter Lerangis Peter Duncan Lerangis (born 1955, in Brooklyn, New York) is an American author of children's and young adult fiction, best known for his '' Seven Wonders'' series and his work on the '' 39 Clues'' series. Life and career Lerangis's work includes ...

; the fourth installment in the ''Watchers'' series * '' Aliens vs. Predator: War'', a 1999 novel based on ''Alien vs. Predator'' by S. D. Perry; the third installment in ''The Machiko Noguchi Saga'' * ''

'', a 2003 collection of poems by Harold Pinter * ''War: Stories of Conflict'', a 2005 short story anthology edited by

Michael Morpurgo Sir Michael Andrew Bridge Morpurgo ('' né'' Bridge; 5 October 1943) is an English book author, poet, playwright, and librettist who is known best for children's novels such as '' War Horse'' (1982). His work is noted for its "magical storytelli ...

* ''Sparrowhawk Six: War'', a 2006 novel by

Edward Cline Edward Cline (October 22, 1946 – 2023) was an American novelist and essayist. An Objectivist, he was best known for his ''Sparrowhawk'' series of novels, which were set in England and Virginia before the American Revolutionary War. He also wro ...

; the sixth installment in the ''Sparrowhawk'' series * '' War: Tales of Conflict and Strife'', a 2017 short story collection by Roald Dahl * ''War: A Novel of the House War'', a 2019 novel by

Michelle West Michelle Michiko Sagara (born May 5, 1963) is a Canadian author of fantasy literature, active since the early 1990s. She has published as Michelle Sagara, as Michelle West (using her husband's surname) and as Michelle Sagara West. Sagara has rec ...

; the eighth installment in ''The House War'' series * ''The War'', a 1983 novel by Michael McDowell; the fourth installment in the ''Blackwater'' series * ''

'', a 1977 novel by Timothy Findley

Non-fiction

* ''War — What For?'', a 1910 book by George Ross Kirkpatrick * ''War, the Creator'', a 1915 magazine essay and 1916 book by

Gelett Burgess Frank Gelett Burgess (January 30, 1866 – September 18, 1951) was an American artist, art critic, poet, author and humorist. He was an important figure in the San Francisco Bay Area literary renaissance of the 1890s, particularly through his ico ...

* ''War: Its Conduct and Legal Results'', a 1915 book by T. Baty and J. H. Morgan * ''War, This War and the Sermon on the Mount'', a 1915 book by

Burnett Hillman Streeter Burnett Hillman Streeter (17 November 1874 – 10 September 1937) was an English Anglican theologian, biblical scholar, and textual critic. Life Streeter was born in Croydon, London, on 17 November 1874 and educated at The Queen's College, ...

concerning World War I * ''War: Its Nature, Cause and Cure'', a 1923 book by G. Lowes Dickinson * ''War: Its Causes, Consequences and Cure'', a 1923 book by Kirby Page * ''War'' (Junger book), a 2010 book by Sebastian Junger about Afghanistan * ''War'' (Woodward book), a 2024 book by Bob Woodward * ''The War: Speech of Hon. E.C. Benedict, in the Assembly of the State of New York, April 6, 1864'', an 1864 work by Erastus C. Benedict * ''The War: What Should Be Said About It in the Schools?'', a 1914 book by

Fannie Fern Andrews Fannie Fern Andrews (Phillips), PhD (1867–1950) was an Americans, American lecturer, teacher, social worker, and writer. Biography Fannie Fern and Frank Edward Phillips were twins, born on 25 September 1867 at Middleton, Nova Scotia, Middle ...

* '' The War: A Memoir'' (), a 1985 memoir by

Marguerite Duras Marguerite Germaine Marie Donnadieu (, 4 April 1914 – 3 March 1996), known as Marguerite Duras (), was a French novelist, playwright, screenwriter, essayist, and experimental filmmaker. Her script for the film ''Hiroshima mon amour'' (1959) ea ...

* ''

War, Literature & the Arts ''War, Literature & the Arts'' is an American literary magazine that publishes stories, poems, essays, reviews, and visuals related to war and military affairs. It was established in 1989 and is based at the United States Air Force Academy in Co ...

'', an American military literary magazine in publication since 1989

Comics

War comics War comics is a genre of comic books that gained popularity in English-speaking countries following World War II. History American war comics Shortly after the birth of the modern comic book in the mid- to late 1930s, comics publishers began inc ...

, a genre of comics *

War (Marvel Comics) War is the name of four fictional characters, who are supervillains appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. All are members of the Four Horsemen of Apocalypse: Abraham Kieros; the fifteenth-century incarnation of War (real n ...

, several Marvel Comics characters * ''War'', a 1975–1984 ongoing series published by

Charlton Comics Charlton Comics was an American comic-book publishing company that existed from 1945 to 1986, having begun under a different name: T. W. O. Charles Company, in 1940. It was based in Derby, Connecticut. The comic-book line (comics), line was a divi ...

* ''The War'' (comics), a 1989 Marvel Comics limited series

Visual arts

* ''War'' (Böcklin painting), two 1896 oil paintings by Arnold Böcklin * ''The War'' (Dix engravings), a 1924 series of etchings by Otto Dix * ''The War'' (Dix triptych), a 1932 oil painting by Otto Dix * ''War'' (Rego painting), a 2003 pastel on paper by Paula Rego

Other uses

The War (boxing) Marvelous Marvin Hagler, Marvin Hagler vs. Thomas Hearns, billed as ''The Fight'', (referred to afterwards as ''The War''), was a professional boxing match contested on April 15, 1985, for the undisputed middleweight championship. Background By ...

, a 1985 bout between Marvin Hagler and Thomas Hearns *

War language War (also known as Waar or War-Jaintia) is an Austroasiatic language in the Khasic branch spoken by about 16,000 people in Bangladesh and 51,000 people in India. It is not to be confused with Khasi War, a Khasi dialect spoken by the closely ...

, spoken in the Indian subcontinent *

Waray language Waray (also known as Waray-Waray or Bisayâ/Binisayâ nga Winaray/Waray, meaning Samar language) is an Austronesian language and the fifth-most-spoken native regional language of the Philippines, native to Eastern Visayas. It is the native l ...

in the Philippines * Winchester Automatic Rifle * Wins Above Replacement, a sabermetric baseball statistic * War, one of the

Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are figures in the Book of Revelation in the New Testament of the Bible, a piece of apocalypse literature attributed to John of Patmos, and generally regarded as dating from about AD 95. Similar allusions a ...

* War, a legendary character from the myth of founding of the city of Warsaw; see

Wars and Sawa War is an armed conflict between the armed forces of states, or between governmental forces and armed groups that are organized under a certain command structure and have the capacity to sustain military operations, or between such organize ...