Etymology
Origin of peacekeeper
Explanation
The noun peacekeeper means exactly what it sounds like: a person who tries to keep things peaceful, often by mediating conflicts or calming people down. You are a peacekeeper if you're the diplomat in your family, the one who negotiates between feuding siblings or placates a cranky grandfather to ensure that everyone has a pleasant Thanksgiving dinner. The most common way to use the word peacekeeper, however, is to talk about troops that are sent into another country for non-military purposes. For example, the United Nations often uses peacekeepers to calm tensions within countries in danger of civil war or violent uprisings.
Vocabulary lists containing peacekeeper
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.
A UN security source told AFP that Israeli fire had killed an Indonesian peacekeeper at the weekend, after the UN force said it was investigating the incident.
From Barron's • Mar. 31, 2026
Injury ended his gridiron dreams and led him onto the more genteel fields of baseball, where he became a peacekeeper rather than a mayhem maker.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 26, 2026
But a UN peacekeeper told the BBC that the Romanians had sought refuge at a UN base in Goma, and were then evacuated to Rwanda.
From BBC • Jan. 29, 2025
Deterrence can be an effective peacekeeper, but it’s unclear how effective, for how long, when it’s not bolstered by diplomatic and institutional guardrails.
From Slate • Aug. 28, 2024
Still, the peacekeeper in me doesn’t want to see them fight.
From "The Sun Is Also a Star" by Nicola Yoon
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
