English Explanatory Dictionary

World War II

English dictionary entry

Meanings

name
  1. The war from 1939 to 1945 of the Allied forces, including the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, the United States, France, and China, against the Axis Powers, including Germany, Italy, and Japan.

Pronunciation

wûrld wôr to͞o /ˌwɜː(ɹ)ld ˌwɔː(ɹ)ˈtuː/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-World War II.wav

Word forms

World War II

Etymology

From world war + two. The term was used for a hypothetical future war as early as 1819. It was first applied to the war in 1939-45 in an article in Time, dated September 11, 1939.

Synonyms

Second World War World War 2 WW2 WWII

Related words

world war World War I World War III World War IV
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