warning of war
- noun
- Formal
- The intelligence agency issued a warning of war after detecting unusual troop movements near the border.
Examples
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Ignoring the early warning of war proved disastrous for the nation's defense strategy.
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Diplomatic channels remained open even as leaders received a clear warning of war from their advisers.
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The government issued a warning of war last night.
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Many countries received a warning of war from the United Nations.
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The intelligence agency issued a warning of war after detecting unusual troop movements near the border.
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Ignoring the early warning of war proved disastrous for the nation's defense strategy.
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Diplomatic channels remained open even as leaders received a clear warning of war from their advisers.
Synonyms
A statement or sign that tells people about danger before it happens
A warning that something dangerous or important may happen
A message that tells you about something, often sent by email or an app
A sign or notice that something bad will happen
A message that tells leaders about a possible attack so they can prepare
A notice given before an event or change
An advance notice that tells people about a possible danger
Antonyms
How Urgent
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is a straightforward composition: 'warning' (an alert) + 'of' (about) + 'war' (armed conflict), yielding the meaning 'a warning about possible war'. This noun + of + noun pattern is cross-linguistically common and follows normal compositional semantics, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words will readily infer the meaning.
Etymology
Warning of war comes from the image of a lookout on a hill giving a warning by raising a flag or beating a drum when war seemed near. That clear alarm told leaders to get ready, so today a warning of war means an 'official notice' that 'fighting' may be coming.