noun
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an agreement to stop fighting, esp temporarily
-
temporary cessation of something unpleasant
Usage
What does truce mean? A truce is a stoppage of fighting between two or more people or sides in a conflict, especially a temporary one. The agreement, or treaty, that establishes such a stoppage can also be called a truce. When used in the context of military conflicts, a truce is often temporary and set for a specified period of time. Truce can also be used casually to refer to an agreement between two or more people to stop arguing or engaging in some less serious form of conflict, like a pillow fight (not that pillow fights can’t get pretty intense). Example: I realized the bad blood between me and Taylor was really petty, so we both decided to call a truce.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of truce
1175–1225; Middle English trewes, plural of trewe, Old English trēow belief, pledge, treaty. See trow
Explanation
When two warring sides decide to call it quits, it's called a truce — an agreement to end the fighting. When there's a truce, the two sides stop attacking each other, catch their breath, and try to work out a peace deal. A truce isn't a permanent solution: it's more like a time-out. People with other kinds of conflicts talk about truces, too. If you and your sister are in an ongoing battle, one of you could say, "Can we please call a truce?" That means you'll take a break from squabbling, at least for a while.
Vocabulary lists containing truce
"Tinker v. Des Moines": Excerpts from Justice Fortas's Opinion
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Fallen Angels
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"Roller Girl" by Victoria Jamieson
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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.
See Examples For:
They are already in force, have no expiration date and will not change when the truce ends.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 7, 2026
The conflict between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia had been largely dormant since an informal truce took effect in 2022.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
Gains have been helped this week by hopes that the US-Iran truce will be reset after weeks of tit-for-tat strikes.
From Barron's ● Aug. 5, 2026
The unraveling of the truce sparked fresh fissures regionwide, involving unexpected places and combatants.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
For the Elves, I fear, it will prove at best a truce, in which they may pass to the Sea unhindered and leave the Middle-earth for ever.
From "The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkien
Without support from ethnic minority armies, he predicted loosely organised PDFs would agree to truces or abandon the democratic cause to become "localised warlords" -- or "be wiped out".
From Barron's ● Jul. 10, 2026
On several occasions in recent months, the International Atomic Energy Agency has negotiated brief truces between Russian and Ukrainian forces to allow power lines to be repaired.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 5, 2026
The intervening 116 years were characterized by intermittent spasms of far-flung fighting, interrupted by truces and even a formal peace between 1360 and 1369.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 11, 2026
He was instrumental in resolving Hollywood’s bitter year of labor strife by negotiating truces with the Writers Guild of America and performers’ union, SAG-AFTRA, in 2023.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 4, 2026
From then on, even in the bloodiest periods of the war, the two commanders would arrange truces to exchange prisoners.
From "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
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.
