Phrase guide

hot war

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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1

noun

Meaning 1

A conflict in which physically violent fighting takes place between the belligerent parties.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: shooting war

Antonyms: cold war

Broader terms: war

2

noun

Meaning 2

actual fighting between the warring parties

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: cold war

Broader terms: war, warfare

History

Etymology

By analogy with cold war.

Across languages

Translations

18 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: حَرْب سَاخِنَة (ḥarb sāḵina) — conflict with actual fighting
  • Chinese Cantonese: 熱戰 /热战 (jit6 zin3) — conflict with actual fighting
  • Chinese: 熱戰 /热战 (jia̍t-chiàn) — conflict with actual fighting
  • Chinese Mandarin: 熱戰 /热战 (rèzhàn) — conflict with actual fighting
  • Czech: horká válka — conflict with actual fighting
  • Czech: otevřená válka — conflict with actual fighting
  • Finnish: kuuma sota — conflict with actual fighting
  • French: guerre chaude — conflict with actual fighting
  • German: heißer Krieg — conflict with actual fighting
  • Japanese: 熱戦 (nessen) — conflict with actual fighting
  • Japanese: 熱い戦争 (atsui sensō) — conflict with actual fighting
  • Korean: 열전 (yeoljeon) — conflict with actual fighting
  • Iranian Persian: جَنْگِ داغ (jang-e dâġ) — conflict with actual fighting
  • Polish: otwarta wojna — conflict with actual fighting
  • Polish: gorąca wojna — conflict with actual fighting
  • Russian: горя́чая война́ (gorjáčaja vojná) — conflict with actual fighting
  • Spanish: guerra caliente — conflict with actual fighting
  • Ukrainian: гаря́ча війна́ (harjáča vijná) — conflict with actual fighting