peacemaker
Americannoun
-
peacemakers
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of peacemaker
late Middle English word dating back to 1375–1425; see origin at peace, maker
Explanation
A peacemaker is a person who helps others solve a conflict and reach a peaceful solution. Of course Gandhi was a famous peacemaker, but even the volunteer on playground patrol can act as a peacemaker too. An individual can be a peacemaker, and there are also organizations that work as peacemakers. If two countries are engaged in a long war, for example, peacemakers might help negotiate a truce. Diplomats and mediators are peacemakers, and if you help your angry sisters come to a peaceable agreement about whose turn it is to take out the trash, you're a peacemaker too.
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:
Cairo has for months played a conservative peacemaker role that analysts say it is unlikely to abandon now, even after it has come under attack itself.
From Barron's ● Aug. 1, 2026
The defense memo described Zambada as a patriarch — the father of 16 children from multiple women — and a peacemaker who “was known to first seek out other solutions” before resorting to violence.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
It all makes for a toxic cocktail which could potentially spread across the region - and it does not look like Abiy is about to play peacemaker.
From BBC ● Jun. 21, 2026
Abel, originally from the Canadian Prairies, in many ways embodies Buffett’s Midwestern charm and reputation as a folksy peacemaker.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 18, 2026
Kevin Cantrell, like always, was the calming peacemaker in our new three-man family.
From "Winger" by Andrew Smith
Aboard the papal plane on Monday, Leo told reporters: "The Gospel says... blessed are the peacemakers."
From Barron's ● Apr. 14, 2026
That long-ago mishmash of horses, poets and peacemakers seems quaint today.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 23, 2026
Maybe some leaders would consent to a meeting if the board really were composed of “the most prestigious” peacemakers.
From Slate ● Jan. 28, 2026
Much has been said too of his burning desire to be awarded the top prize for peacemakers, the Nobel Peace Prize.
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2025
I guess when they’re drafting peacemakers they’d better pass me by.
From "Travels with Charley in Search of America" by John Steinbeck
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.
