conflict
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.a serious disagreement or a physical fight between people, groups, or countries.
n.a state of open, often prolonged fighting; a battle or war. Often used in political or sociological contexts to describe systemic struggles.
Simple“The two countries are trying to find a peaceful way to end the conflict.”
In context“Diplomatic efforts were redoubled in an attempt to resolve the border conflict before it escalated into a full-scale regional war.”
UsageOften takes the preposition 'between' or 'with'.
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.a situation where two ideas, needs, or interests cannot exist together.
n.a state of logical or practical incompatibility between two or more elements. Frequently appears in the phrase 'conflict of interest'.
Simple“There is a conflict between his desire to travel and his need to save money.”
In context“The researcher had to disclose a potential conflict of interest because she owned shares in the company funding the study.”
SynonymsAntonyms - 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
v.to be different in a way that means two things cannot both be true or happen together.
v.to be in opposition or show a lack of agreement. This intransitive verb requires the preposition 'with' when followed by an object.
Simple“The results of the new study conflict with the findings from last year.”
In context“The witness's testimony appeared to conflict with the physical evidence found at the scene, leading the jury to question his credibility.”
UsageThe verb is intransitive and typically takes the preposition 'with'.
- 04 B2 Upper Intermediate
v.when two events happen at the same time so you cannot go to both.
v.to occur at the same time as another event, creating a logistical impossibility for a participant.
Simple“I would love to come to your party, but it conflicts with my work schedule.”
In context“The final exam conflicts with the graduation rehearsal, so several students have requested a rescheduled time for their test.”
Usage conflict in eastern · conflicts of interest · conflict displacement
“He said the pair spoke about a “number of global and regional issues”, including the conflict in the Middle East and recent developments in the Pacific.”
“Eurovision Song Contest organisers announced Wednesday that they were excluding any country in an armed conflict from hosting the competition, as the Bulgarian Black Sea city of Burgas will host Eurovision 2027.”
From Latin conflictus, past participle of confligere (“to strike together”), from com- (“together”) (a form of con-) + fligere (“to strike”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.