cease-fire

American  

[sees-fahyuhr] / ˈsisˈfaɪər /

noun

1. a cessation of hostilities; truce.

2. Military. an order issued for a cease-fire.

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Etymology

Origin of cease-fire

First recorded in 1840–50; noun use of verb phrase cease fire

Explanation

When two warring countries take a short break from killing each other's soldiers, it's a cease-fire. Often part of peace talks, a cease-fire is a temporary pause in a battle. Any time a commander orders troops to stop firing their weapons, that's a cease-fire. The noun, in fact, comes from a military command: "Cease fire!" Cease means "stop," from the Latin cessare, "go slow or leave off." Another name for a cease-fire is a truce; it can be an informal agreement to delay any violence for the time being, or part of an official treaty between nations and the end of a war.

Example Sentences

A tense cease-fire and ongoing diplomatic talks haven’t offered much in the way of price relief.

From MarketWatch • May 22, 2026

A tense cease-fire has held since early April, but gas prices have continued to rise.

From MarketWatch • May 21, 2026

Since the October cease-fire, the task force has been reduced to a handful of operatives who track targets and pass along information to the military command responsible for operations in Gaza.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 21, 2026

While other countries reopened after the cease-fire, Kuwait stayed closed for two more weeks and still operates a fraction of normal flights.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 20, 2026

Mum and Dad must've called a weird cease-fire while we'd been in the kitchen 'cause after the washing up they sat at the table and seemed to be talking normally about the day and stuff.

From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell

Related Words

• armistice
• ceasefire
• truce