casus belli
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.
In his speech announcing the war, Mr. Trump explained the extensive casus belli to the American people.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 2, 2026
He could well seize on some alleged affront in the negotiations themselves as a casus belli.
From Washington Post • Dec. 14, 2021
One of the few voices that challenged Polk’s casus belli was Abraham Lincoln, then serving in Congress.
From The New Yorker • May 13, 2019
Muslim sources later described her as innocence incarnate, while Christian scribes depicted her as a loose woman — respectively maximizing and minimizing Julian’s casus belli.
From New York Times • Jan. 3, 2012
Others attacked this conclusion, and the skeletons became one of the casus belli of the evolution wars.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
From Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.
