lawfare

British

/ ˈlɔːˌfɛə /

noun

the use of the law by a country against its enemies, esp by challenging the legality of military or foreign policy

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of lawfare

C21: from _law + _warfare

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

But on the campaign trail, its top prime ministerial nominee, Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut, hoped that this time there would be "no lawfare to destroy us".

From Barron's

Appeared in the January 13, 2026, print edition as 'Lawfare for Dummies, Monetary Edition'.

From The Wall Street Journal

Lawfare is another common strategy.

From The Wall Street Journal

Maybe you’ve read some of this work on Just Security, Lawfare, Lawfire, and elsewhere.

From Slate

“So long as the companies formally consent to the government shares, the government is unlikely to face lawsuits in court,” wrote former Biden White House official Peter Harrell in Lawfare.

From Barron's

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023