Phrase guide

chemical warfare

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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No pronunciation record was provided for this word.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The use of toxic properties of chemical substances as weapons of war, through the intentional exposure of enemy forces to such substances.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable

Topics: government, military, politics, war

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

warfare using chemical agents to kill or injure or incapacitate the enemy

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: chemical operations

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: war, warfare

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

5 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Mandarin: 化學戰 /化学战 (huàxuézhàn) — use of chemical substances as weapons of war
  • Finnish: kemiallinen sodankäynti — use of chemical substances as weapons of war
  • French: guerre chimique — use of chemical substances as weapons of war
  • Russian: хими́ческая война́ (ximíčeskaja vojná) — use of chemical substances as weapons of war
  • Swedish: kemisk krigföring — use of chemical substances as weapons of war