guerre
/ɡɛʁ/feminine
In French, war is guerre.
The word refers to a conflict involving the organized use of arms. To express the action of conducting or engaging in a war, the standard phrase is faire la guerre.
Meaning: conflict involving organized use of arms (noun)
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Québec, la chicane can be used colloquially to refer to minor conflicts.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
guerre is a feminine noun, so it is preceded by the feminine article la when used as la guerre (the war).
How do you pronounce it?
/ɡɛʁ/
Did you know?
- The English word 'war' is actually a loanword from the Old French guerre. Most other English words for conflict come from Old English or Latin, but this specific term was adopted after the Norman Conquest.
- The expression faire la guerre à quelqu'un is used metaphorically in modern French to describe an intense personal feud or a period of hostility between friends.
- French has the idiom guerre d'usure, meaning 'war of attrition'. While English uses the same term, in French it is frequently used in business and politics to describe wearing down an opponent's patience.
Examples in context
- Non à la guerre !No to war!This sentence demonstrates how to express opposition to the concept of guerre.Tatoeba #10719412 by lbdx, translation #10713376 by Ooneykcall
- Ceci est une guerre.This is a war.This sentence shows how to identify a specific instance of guerre.Tatoeba #12493582 by always, translation #3873162 by Amastan
- Nul n'aime la guerre.No one loves war.This sentence illustrates the use of guerre in a general statement about human sentiment.Tatoeba #961685 by U2FS, translation #276649 by CM
- La guerre dévastatrice a duré plusieurs années.The devastating war lasted for several years.
- Le gouvernement lutte contre les conflits armés.The government is fighting against armed conflicts.
- Le pays est en guerre depuis plusieurs années.The country has been at war for several years.
- Le conflit armé a fait de nombreuses victimes.The armed conflict has resulted in many casualties.
- 646 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Manon and Lucas are watching a news report about a conflict.
- ManonLa guerre commence demain.The war begins tomorrow.
- LucasC'est une guerre terrible.It is a terrible war.
- ManonLe monde veut la paix.The world wants peace.
- LucasOui, plus aucune guerre.Yes, no more war.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “war” translations and entries guerre, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries guerre, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
