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
“I just don’t see it rising to a casus belli — or at least as a cause for a much larger military effort,” said Kenneth M. Pollack, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution.
From New York Times • Aug. 21, 2014
The casus belli was usually the desire to avenge an insult or gain status, not the wish for conquest.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
