ceasefire
noun
cease·fire
ˈsēs-ˈfi(-ə)r 
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
In the latest ceasefire’s first phase, 25 Israeli hostages and the bodies of eight others were released in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.
—
Wafaa Shurafa and Samy Magdy, Los Angeles Times, 23 Mar. 2025
The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas negotiated in mid-January seems to have been written on tissue.
—TIME, 23 Mar. 2025
Related article 50,000 killed in Gaza since start of Israel-Hamas war, health ministry says
The Israeli military resumed air and ground operations in Gaza earlier this week, blamed on Hamas for refusing to agree to revised terms on extending the first phase of the ceasefire.
—Abeer Salman, CNN, 23 Mar. 2025
The ceasefire started in January, pausing a 15-month war sparked by Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel.
—Landon Mion, Fox News, 23 Mar. 2025
Under the terms of the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire, Israeli forces were supposed to withdraw from all Lebanese territory by late January, which was extended to February 18.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 22 Mar. 2025
Hamas had also fired three rockets the previous day, causing no casualties, in its first attack since Israel ended the ceasefire.
—arkansasonline.com, 22 Mar. 2025
But the recent breaking of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire and new U.S. attacks on Houthi targets in Yemen both make conditions tougher for ocean carriers to consider bringing vessels back through the Suez Canal.
—Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 20 Mar. 2025
Hours after agreeing to a partial ceasefire with Russia in a phone call with President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy posted 10 images to his Telegram channel of fires and damage in the country’s central Kirovohrad region.
—Henry Austin, NBC News, 20 Mar. 2025
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Wafaa Shurafa and Samy Magdy, Los Angeles Times, 23 Mar. 2025
The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas negotiated in mid-January seems to have been written on tissue.
—TIME, 23 Mar. 2025
Related article 50,000 killed in Gaza since start of Israel-Hamas war, health ministry says
The Israeli military resumed air and ground operations in Gaza earlier this week, blamed on Hamas for refusing to agree to revised terms on extending the first phase of the ceasefire.
—Abeer Salman, CNN, 23 Mar. 2025
The ceasefire started in January, pausing a 15-month war sparked by Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel.
—Landon Mion, Fox News, 23 Mar. 2025
Under the terms of the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire, Israeli forces were supposed to withdraw from all Lebanese territory by late January, which was extended to February 18.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 22 Mar. 2025
Hamas had also fired three rockets the previous day, causing no casualties, in its first attack since Israel ended the ceasefire.
—arkansasonline.com, 22 Mar. 2025
But the recent breaking of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire and new U.S. attacks on Houthi targets in Yemen both make conditions tougher for ocean carriers to consider bringing vessels back through the Suez Canal.
—Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 20 Mar. 2025
Hours after agreeing to a partial ceasefire with Russia in a phone call with President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy posted 10 images to his Telegram channel of fires and damage in the country’s central Kirovohrad region.
—Henry Austin, NBC News, 20 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ceasefire.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ceasefire. Accessed 28 Mar. 2025.
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