rapprochement
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of rapprochement
First recorded in 1790–1800; from French, equivalent to rapproche(r) “to bring near, bring together,” from r(e)- + approcher + -ment; see origin at re-, approach, -ment
Explanation
Rapprochement is the reestablishment of a happy relationship or arrangement. A peace treaty between warring nations is a kind of rapprochement. People who usually get along sometimes come into conflict: formerly allied nations go to war, friends feud, and spouses divorce. If a conflict ends and the parties go back to being on good terms, they achieve rapprochement. This term is most often used in international politics — for example, when two countries make peace after a long war, that's rapprochement. The word means "reunion" or "reconciliation" in French, and its root is rapprocher, "to bring near."
Vocabulary lists containing rapprochement
English Words Derived from French, List 8
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This Week In Words: January 18–24, 2020
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Vocabulary from the Twelfth Republican Debate, March 10, 2016
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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.
The gesture inverted one of the most familiar images in the history of the U.S.-China rapprochement.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026
The rapprochement usually starts out small, maybe with a text message here or there or small talk at a family event.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026
A nuclear deal was said to be a path to a wider rapprochement.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 17, 2026
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's powerful sister called Lee's statement "wise behaviour", but hopes for a rapprochement faded after the diplomatically isolated nation returned to calling the South its "most hostile" enemy.
From Barron's ● Jun. 12, 2026
But that rapprochement did not last long, and Ferula was quick to realize that she had been used.
From "The House of the Spirits: A Novel" by Isabel Allende
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.
