war of words
A heated exchange of threatening or inflammatory statements.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“The two neighbors are having a war of words over the fence.”
“The election campaign turned into a bitter war of words between the two candidates as they attacked each other's policies.”
“What began as a minor disagreement regarding the contract quickly escalated into a prolonged war of words that damaged the professional relationship between the two firms.”
- 01
bad word
A vulgar word.
- 02
breathe a word
To divulge even part of a secret (usually used with a negative).
- 03
dicky
[Cockney slang]word
- 04
dirty word
The name of a topic that a person prefers not to hear or discuss.
- 05
empty words
Any type of talk with little meaning; a message that seems to contain meaningful content but is actually vapid.
- 06
from the word go
From the very beginning; from the outset; immediately upon starting.
- 07
get the word out
To make some information more widely known.
- 08
hang on every word
To be completely attentive to what another person is saying.
Last updated August 10, 2026