Word
waged
US/ˈweɪdʒd/
UK/wˈeɪdʒd/
Definition
v. to start and continue a war or a long fight against something. You use this when talking about serious struggles like battles or political campaigns.
v. to carry on or engage in a conflict, such as a war or a campaign. Transitive; requires a direct object, typically 'war', 'campaign', or 'battle'.
Examples
“The two countries waged war for many years.”
“The local community waged a successful campaign to prevent the park from being turned into a parking lot.”
“Throughout the nineteenth century, various factions waged a relentless struggle for control over the region's natural resources, leading to a series of protracted and costly skirmishes.”
Examples
simple
“The two countries waged war for many years.”
contextual
“The local community waged a successful campaign to prevent the park from being turned into a parking lot.”
complex
“Throughout the nineteenth century, various factions waged a relentless struggle for control over the region's natural resources, leading to a series of protracted and costly skirmishes.”
Usage
The verb is transitive and almost exclusively collocated with 'war', 'campaign', 'struggle', or 'battle'.
Pitfall
They waged against the law
They waged a war against the law
Waged is transitive and requires a direct object (like 'war' or 'campaign') before the prepositional phrase.
Real-World Examples
“In a speech in front of other western leaders, Burnham compared Ukraine’s fight to that waged by Britain during the darkest days of the second world war.” “We have waged war against Iraq, Afghanistan, and Libya.” Scan code
englishreference.com/q/waged