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Glite Dictionary
War of American Independence

War of American Independence

3.9
A war from 1775 to 1783 when thirteen American colonies fought Britain to become the United States
  • noun
  • /wɔr əv əˈmɛrɪkən ɪnˈdɪpəndəns/
translation icon : Guerra de la Independencia Americana
  • Several key battles during the War of American Independence were fought on the eastern seaboard.

Examples

  • The War of American Independence led to the birth of a new nation.

  • The War of American Independence lasted from 1775 to 1783.

  • Historians have long debated the causes of the War of American Independence.

  • Did the War of American Independence change the course of history?

  • The War of American Independence began in 1775 and ended in 1783, leading to the creation of a new nation.

  • The colonists united in their fight during the War of American Independence to achieve freedom from British rule.

  • Many important battles were fought during the War of American Independence, shaping the future of the United States.

Synonyms

Revolutionary War
vsWar of American Independence
24 3.7

A war from 1775 to 1783 when thirteen American colonies fought Britain for independence

is the same event but uses a more general two word name
American Revolution
vsWar of American Independence
23 2.7

A war from 1775 to 1783 when thirteen colonies fought Britain and formed the United States

is the same event but uses a shorter more concise name form
American Revolutionary War
vsWar of American Independence
1 3.4

A war from 1775 to 1783 when the American colonies fought to become independent from Britain

is the same event but uses a different descriptive word in its name
American War of Independence
vsWar of American Independence
1 4.6

A war from 1775 to 1783 when the American colonies won freedom from Britain

is the same event but with a different name word order

Surface Forms

War of American Independence singular
Wars of American Independence plural

Morphology

war + of + American + independence

The meaning is compositionally built from its parts: 'war' (armed conflict) + 'American' (relating to America) + 'independence' (state of being free), so a learner can infer it refers to the conflict in which Americans sought independence. The genitive 'of' construction is a common, cross-linguistic way to link these concepts, making the overall sense directly derivable for a B1 learner who knows the constituents.

Etymology

The term War of American Independence names the fight from 1775 to 1783 when thirteen colonies in North America fought Britain to become 'a separate country'. The words war for a big fight, American for the colonies in America and independence meaning 'to be free' show why this name means the war that created the United States.