COLD WAR

Pronunciation (US):

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does Cold War mean? 

• COLD WAR (noun)
  The noun COLD WAR has 2 senses:

1. a state of political hostility between countries using means short of armed warfare

2. a state of political hostility that existed from 1945 until 1990 between countries led by the Soviet Union and countries led by the United States

  Familiarity information: COLD WAR used as a noun is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• COLD WAR (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A state of political hostility between countries using means short of armed warfare

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Hypernyms ("cold war" is a kind of...):

antagonism; enmity; hostility (a state of deep-seated ill-will)

Antonym:

hot war (actual fighting between the warring parties)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A state of political hostility that existed from 1945 until 1990 between countries led by the Soviet Union and countries led by the United States

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Instance hypernyms:

antagonism; enmity; hostility (a state of deep-seated ill-will)

 Context examples 

The Cold War tests, which detonated explosives at heights from 16 to 250 miles above the surface, mimicked some of these natural effects.

(Space Weather Events Linked to Human Activity, NASA)