ENGLISH
REFERENCE

waged

v.
C1 Advanced US //ˈweɪdʒd// UK //wˈeɪdʒd// waged

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'.


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.

Synonyms
Usage

The verb is transitive and almost exclusively collocated with 'war', 'campaign', 'struggle', or 'battle'.

Pitfall

They waged against the lawThey waged a war against the lawWaged is transitive and requires a direct object (like 'war' or 'campaign') before the prepositional phrase.

© 2026 English Reference