cold war

• Estado prolongado de tensión política y militar entre dos o más países, caracterizado generalmente por conflicto ideológico, espionaje y guerras por poderes, en lugar de un enfrentamiento armado directo. Se refiere con mayor frecuencia al periodo de tensión geopolítica entre Estados Unidos y la Unión Soviética desde finales de los años 1940 hasta principios de los 1990.

A prolonged state of political and military tension between two or more nations, typically characterized by ideological conflict, espionage, and proxy wars rather than direct armed conflict. Most commonly refers to the period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union from the late 1940s to the early 1990s.

1. Historical period of tensionB2formal

   A prolonged state of political and military tension between the United States and the Soviet Union after World War II, characterized by ideological conflict, arms races, and proxy wars, but without direct large-scale fighting.

   Guerra Fría

   • The Cold War lasted from the late 1940s until the early 1990s.
   • The Berlin Wall was a powerful symbol of the Cold War.
   • The Cold War led to the development of nuclear arsenals by both superpowers.

2. Figurative conflictB2informal

   A state of intense rivalry or hostility between two groups or individuals that does not involve direct physical confrontation.

   guerra fría

   • There is a cold war between the two departments over budget allocations.
   • Their relationship has turned into a cold war, with neither speaking to the other.
   • The two companies are engaged in a cold war for market dominance.