truce

[troos]

noun

1. a suspension of hostilities for a specified period of time by mutual agreement of the warring parties; cease-fire; armistice.

2. an agreement or treaty establishing this.

3. a temporary respite, as from trouble or pain.

   Synonyms: stay, rest, pause, lull

truce

/ truːs /

noun

1. an agreement to stop fighting, esp temporarily

2. temporary cessation of something unpleasant

Other Word Forms

• truceless adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of truce¹

1175–1225; Middle English trewes, plural of trewe, Old English trēow belief, pledge, treaty. See trow

Word History and Origins

Origin of truce¹

C13: from the plural of Old English treow _trow ; see _true , _trust

Example Sentences

There are no plans to send British troops to be part of the multinational force that will monitor the truce, but the prime minister said the UK would help with the ceasefire monitoring process.

Read more on BBC

Hamas accused Israel of breaking the truce by opening fire during the clashes.

Read more on Barron's

Restrictions on rare earths exports in April sent shock waves through supply chains, helping lead to a trade truce with the U.S. in June.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The latest measures come despite Washington and Beijing agreeing a tariffs truce earlier this year.

Read more on BBC

The truce, mediated by Egypt and Qatar with U.S. support, also includes the release of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli detention — a long-sought exchange that offers a glimmer of relief but not yet peace.

Read more on Salon

Related Words

• accord 
• agreement 
• amnesty 
• armistice 
• cease-fire 
• détente 
• lull 
• moratorium 
• pause 
• peace 
• reconciliation 
• reprieve 
• suspension 

When To Use

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.