Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

peacekeeping

American  
[pees-kee-ping] / ˈpisˌki pɪŋ /

noun

  1. the maintenance of international peace and security by the deployment of military forces in a particular area.

    the United Nations' efforts toward peacekeeping.

  2. an instance of this.


adjective

  1. for or pertaining to peacekeeping.

    peacekeeping forces.

peacekeeping British  
/ ˈpiːsˌkiːpɪŋ /

noun

    1. the maintenance of peace, esp the prevention of further fighting between hostile forces in an area

    2. ( as modifier )

      a UN peacekeeping force

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of peacekeeping

First recorded in 1960–65; peace + keeping

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.

See Examples For:

Four countries—Albania, Kazakhstan, Kosovo and Morocco—are currently on course to sign formal commitments to the peacekeeping mission.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 10, 2026

In recent years, a United Nations peacekeeping mission, Rwandan troops and Russian mercenaries from the notorious Wagner group have helped to improve the Central African Republic's security situation.

From Barron's Jun. 12, 2026

It also extended the presence of the UN peacekeeping mission in Western Sahara for another 12 months.

From BBC May 24, 2026

This is because the durable enforcement of a deal would require European peacekeeping forces, and both Russia and Ukraine would most likely seek to reconstitute their military capabilities and rearm in any case.

From MarketWatch May 13, 2026

Cooperation and communication broke down, and civil unrest caused fragile peacekeeping to crumble.

From "Sterling Biographies®: Cleopatra: Egypt's Last and Greatest Queen" by Susan Blackaby

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Join 12,000,000 vocabulary learners

Start learning new words today on VocabTrainer.
You'll remember them forever.

Start training