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truce
/ truːs /
noun
- an agreement to stop fighting, esp temporarily
- temporary cessation of something unpleasant
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Other Words From
- truceless adjective
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Word History and Origins
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Word History and Origins
Origin of truce1
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Example Sentences
Germany’s foreign minister is expected in the region today for truce talks.
Formal truce talks started three days before the rebellion broke out.
For now, the number of desperate people from El Salvador has slowed, but that’s in part a result of ceasefires among criminal gangs, truces that may not last.
The pandemic has destabilized a loose truce between the tech sector and the cities it sought as partners in testing these products.
From gang-imposed curfews in Brazil’s favelas to South Africa, where gangs have embraced a truce and cooperated in the distribution of humanitarian aid, they’ve been helping hands.
“First of all, you are saving lives, and that matters,” said a source who has worked with the De Mistura team on the truce plan.
The Barzeh truce sparked outrage from commentators aligned with the opposition, who viewed it as little more than capitulation.
Since 2007, Maulvi Nazir and the Pakistani military had kept to an unwritten truce.
As a result, the temporary truce negotiated by the ICRC is uneasy and, at best, only partial.
Overcome by their desire for a truce, accepted a tool of war as a symbol of peace.
But at ten o'clock in the evening a flag of truce arrived offering a capitulation.
Truce now, Gregory; and consider how we can best dispose ourselves here, till the morning.
Openly, Edward maintained due observance of the truce, and by the middle of September 1320, had taken steps towards a final peace.
He proclaimed the truce publicly before Seton 'and a great assembly of people.'
He presently confirmed the thirteen years' truce (February 15), and appointed envoys to treat for final peace (March 4).
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More About Truce
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.
Where does truce come from?
The first records of truce come from around 1200. It comes from Middle English trewes, the plural of trewe, from the Old English trēow, meaning “belief, pledge, treaty.” The words true and truth are based on the same root.
Truce is often used as a general term to refer to any suspension of conflict, especially between warring armies. So what’s the difference between a truce, a cease-fire, and an armistice? In general, all three terms mean about the same thing. A cease-fire is usually a temporary stoppage to an ongoing battle. An armistice often refers to a stoppage of all hostilities—the agreement to end a war is sometimes called an armistice. Cease-fires and armistices are both examples of truces, but truce is usually used on a smaller scale or in a more informal way. Both cease-fire and armistice sound official, but truce often implies less formality.
Truce is also used outside the context of wars and the military to refer to an informal agreement between two people to call off an argument or feud, especially one that has gone on for a long time. Such a truce is often offered in the form of a question, simply by saying, “Truce?” If the other person agrees, they can also just say, “Truce.”
Remember: just because two armies or countries or people have agreed to a truce doesn’t mean the conflict is over forever—some truces are only temporary.
Did you know ... ?
What are some other forms related to truce?
- truceless (adjective)
What are some synonyms for truce?
What are some words that share a root or word element with truce?
What are some words that often get used in discussing truce?
How is truce used in real life?
Truce is often used in the context of war and other military conflicts. But it is also often used in a much more casual way to refer to an agreement to end a petty argument.
I only see #Syria army statement saying it offering a truce in Damascus & Latakia for 24hrs & 72 hrs respectively https://t.co/LKuGcZTT2B
— Sam Dagher (@samdagher) April 29, 2016
The Christmas truce (German: Weihnachtsfrieden; French: Trêve de Noël) was a series of widespread unofficial ceasefires along the Western Front of the First World War around Christmas 1914. pic.twitter.com/FQvkT0X9RD
— Little A- (@LtfiA_) April 16, 2020
Nicky Minaj and Cardi B call a truce after a day of heated online feuding https://t.co/dZF6t3LDBF
— TIME (@TIME) October 30, 2018
Try using truce!
True or False?
A truce is when one side in a conflict decides to stop fighting.
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