cease-fire
[sees-fahyuh r]
- a cessation of hostilities; truce.
- Military. an order issued for a cease-fire.
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Origin of cease-fire
First recorded in 1840–50; noun use of verb phrase cease fire
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for cease-fire
Contemporary Examples
Clearly, all of the statements from Moscow and Kiev about a cease-fire for the period of the investigation have been forgotten.
Inside the Battle to Crush Ukraine’s Rebel Capital as Dutch Search for MH17 CluesAnna Nemtsova
July 21, 2014
The sanctions continued after a cease-fire; Eisenhower was adamant: They wouldn't be lifted until the invading troops were gone.
A bloody conflict ended in a cease-fire that ceded to the militants the right to institute Sharia law in the Swat area.
The cease-fire requires Hamas to hold its rockets and Israel to alleviate the siege.
Haaretz quoted a Maan news agency report that both Hamas and Islamic Jihad are committed to the Gaza cease-fire.
Historical Examples
We will work for a cease-fire now or once discussions have begun.
It was two and a half hours before the "Cease-fire" whistle sounded.
With Botha in the FieldEric Moore Ritchie
His men held out until two in the afternoon, when their resistance collapsed and the cease-fire sounded.
The Fight For The Republic in ChinaBertram Lenox Putnam Weale
A cease-fire was achieved without a major power confrontation.
Word Origin and History for cease-fire
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper