peacemaker
Americannoun
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:
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
You can’t have peace if there is no peacemaker on the other side.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 24, 2026
Now, with a round of talks concluded in Islamabad and frantic negotiations underway to secure a second go, Pakistan is basking in its new role as a regional peacemaker, analysts say.
From Barron's ● Apr. 14, 2026
In reality, he was never a real peacemaker.
From Salon ● Mar. 16, 2026
“Birds in their little nests agree,” sang Beth, the peacemaker, with such a funny face that both sharp voices softened to a laugh, and the “pecking” ended for that time.
From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott
These are from the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus blesses the poor, the meek and the peacemakers, and then calls on his followers to turn the other cheek and love their enemies.
From Salon ● Jul. 1, 2026
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
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.
