declare war

English

Verb

declare war (third-person singular simple present declares war, present participle declaring war, simple past and past participle declared war)

After Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States declared war (sense 1) on Japan.

1. (of a governmental authority) To make a formal pronouncement, or sign a legal document, that initiates a state of war between one nation and another, usually before hostilities begin.
   • 2007, Carlos Ramirez-Faria, Concise Encyclopaedia of World History:

     Germany declared war on France, who reciprocated, on August 3 [1939], and England declared war on Germany on August 4, when Belgium was already under invasion.

2. To announce one's intention to fiercely combat or eradicate something.

   The governor declared war on poverty.

   • 2011, Henry Hampton, Steve Fayer, Voices of Freedom: An Oral History of the Civil Rights Movement:

     Leo Lillard, a Nashville native attending Tennessee State University, had become involved in the sit-ins as soon as they started. It was no longer just the students, it was clear that the town had declared war on racism.

Translations

initiate a state of war

• Albanian: please add this translation if you can
• Armenian: պատերազմ հայտարարել (hy) (paterazm haytararel)
• Belarusian: аб'явіць вайну (abʺjavicʹ vajnu), абвясціць вайну (abvjascicʹ vajnu)
• Catalan: denunciar la guerra
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 宣戰／宣战 (zh) (xuānzhàn)

• Dutch: de oorlog verklaren
• Esperanto: please add this translation if you can
• Estonian: please add this translation if you can
• Finnish: julistaa sota
• French: déclarer la guerre (fr)
• German: den Krieg erklären
• Greek:

  Ancient: πόλεμον ἐκφέρω (pólemon ekphérō) (πρὸς + accusative)

• Hungarian: hadat üzen
• Japanese: 宣戦布告する (ja) (sensen fukoku suru)
• Korean: 선전포고하다 (seonjeonpogohada)
• Latvian: please add this translation if you can
• Lithuanian: please add this translation if you can
• Norman: dêcliather la dgèrre
• Polish: wypowiadać wojnę impf, wypowiedzieć wojnę pf
• Portuguese: declarar guerra
• Romanian: declara război
• Russian: объяви́ть войну́ (obʺjavítʹ vojnú)
• Slovak: please add this translation if you can
• Spanish: declarar la guerra
• Swedish: deklarera krig
• Turkish: savaş ilan etmek, savaş açmak (tr)
• Ukrainian: please add this translation if you can
• Volapük: sagön krigi

announce one's intention to fiercely combat or eradicate something

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 宣戰／宣战 (zh) (xuānzhàn)

• Finnish: julistaa sota
• Polish: wypowiadać wojnę impf, wypowiedzieć wojnę pf
• Spanish: please add this translation if you can