truce

[troos]

noun

1. a suspension of hostilities for a specified period of time by mutual agreement of the warring parties; cease-fire; armistice.

2. an agreement or treaty establishing this.

3. a temporary respite, as from trouble or pain.

   Synonyms: stay, rest, pause, lull

truce

/ truːs /

noun

1. an agreement to stop fighting, esp temporarily

2. temporary cessation of something unpleasant

Other Word Forms

• truceless adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of truce¹

1175–1225; Middle English trewes, plural of trewe, Old English trēow belief, pledge, treaty. See trow

Word History and Origins

Origin of truce¹

C13: from the plural of Old English treow _trow ; see _true , _trust

Example Sentences

A "truce" was later called between the men following a meeting at a bookmaker's in 2017.

From BBC

Regional mediators have presented a proposal that would see 10 living hostages and the bodies of 18 dead hostages released during a 60-day truce.

From BBC

Putin has rejected calls for a truce and his troops have intensified attacks on Ukrainian cities.

From BBC

Millions of YouTube TV customers were spared an interruption of Fox News, Fox sports and local coverage after the two entertainment companies reached a 11th-hour truce following weeks of negotiations.

From Los Angeles Times

It said Kinshasa had failed to meet commitments outlined in the deal, although it has since announced it will send a "technical team" to Doha to discuss the practical arrangements for the truce.

From BBC

Related Words

• accord 
• agreement 
• amnesty 
• armistice 
• cease-fire 
• détente 
• lull 
• moratorium 
• pause 
• peace 
• reconciliation 
• reprieve 
• suspension 

When To Use

What does truce mean?

A truce is a stoppage of fighting between two or more people or sides in a conflict, especially a temporary one.The agreement, or treaty, that establishes such a stoppage can also be called a truce. When used in the context of military conflicts, a truce is often temporary and set for a specified period of time.Truce can also be used casually to refer to an agreement between two or more people to stop arguing or engaging in some less serious form of conflict, like a pillow fight (not that pillow fights can’t get pretty intense).Example: I realized the bad blood between me and Taylor was really petty, so we both decided to call a truce.