ceasefire

noun

cease·​fire ˈsēs-ˈfi(-ə)r How to pronounce ceasefire (audio)
variants or less commonly cease-fire
plural ceasefires also cease-fires
1
: a military order to cease firing
2
: a suspension of active hostilities

Examples of ceasefire in a Sentence

the two armies declared a ceasefire for the holiday
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The Palestinians and their supporters turned to the General Assembly after the U.S. vetoed a Security Council resolution on November 20 that called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 12 Dec. 2024 Trump has also pushed to end the war in Ukraine as quickly as possible, calling this weekend for an immediate ceasefire. Sylvan Lane, The Hill, 10 Dec. 2024 Trump's call for an immediate ceasefire went beyond the public policy stands taken by the Biden administration and Ukraine and drew a cautious response from Zelenskyy. Ellen Knickmeyer and Joanna Kozlowska The Associated Press, arkansasonline.com, 9 Dec. 2024 An armed rebel alliance charged across Syria over 11 days, sweeping through major cities and reigniting a conflict that had been largely static since a 2020 ceasefire agreement. Rob Picheta, CNN, 9 Dec. 2024 There should be an immediate ceasefire and negotiations should begin. Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 8 Dec. 2024 This year, on November 27th, the same day that a ceasefire took hold between Israel and Hezbollah, in neighboring Lebanon, H.T.S. and its allies abruptly pushed south from their stronghold in Idlib. Rania Abouzeid, The New Yorker, 8 Dec. 2024 Israeli forces said Hezbollah violated the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon because their members were operating there. Julia Reinstein, ABC News, 8 Dec. 2024 Both sides accused the other of violating last week’s ceasefire arrangement. Tovah Lazaroff, NBC News, 5 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1844, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of ceasefire was in 1844

Dictionary Entries Near ceasefire

Cite this Entry

“Ceasefire.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ceasefire. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

cease-fire

noun
ˈsēs-ˈfī(ə)r
: a temporary stopping of warfare

More from Merriam-Webster on ceasefire

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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