Synonyms

keep the peace

Idioms

Maintain public order; prevent strife. For example, President Clinton ordered troops to Bosnia to keep the peace. This expression dates from the 1400s and was originally used more in the first sense, that is, of police keeping public order. It gained extra currency in the second half of the 1900s when military forces were sent to diverse places—Lebanon, Haiti, Bosnia—to stop warring factions.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

On Wednesday, Paz announced a cabinet reshuffle in a bid to keep the peace.

From Barron's • May 21, 2026

But it is hard to keep the peace.

From BBC • Mar. 21, 2026

But it would also keep the peace, making it harder for ICE to escalate conflicts with the community, while reducing feelings of frustration for activists.

From Salon • Jan. 28, 2026

Skipp Townsend, who runs the violence prevention group 2nd Call, said he dispatched several of his outreach workers to the scene to keep the peace.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 12, 2026

In exchange he promises to keep the peace with their parents.

From "Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers" by Deborah Heiligman

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023