truce

1 of 2

noun

ˈtrüs How to pronounce truce (audio)
Synonyms of truce
1
: a suspension of fighting especially of considerable duration by agreement of opposing forces : armistice, ceasefire
2
: a respite especially from a disagreeable or painful state or action
That tortured rage morphs into a loving, uneasy truce …—Randy Gener

truce

2 of 2

verb

truced; trucing

intransitive verb

: to make a truce

transitive verb

: to end with a truce

Synonyms of truce

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Noun

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Examples of truce in a Sentence

Noun There's been an uneasy truce between her and her parents for the past several months. both sides agreed to a 24-hour truce beginning at midnight on Christmas Eve
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.
Noun
My childhood school in Denmark hadn’t been turned to rubble but into an emotional battlefield, a psychological groundhog’s day of explosive arguments, violent brawls—and brief, fragile truces that always shattered when the home bell rung. — Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2026 Interior Secretary Harold Ickes ended the skirmish by imposing a truce and persuading Congress to designate the dam as a federal project. — Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026 Moscow ignored that truce from the start and Kyiv vowed to retaliate. — Spencer Kimball,deena Zaidi, CNBC, 21 Oct. 2026 Late last month, Washington and Beijing extended their tariff truce first brokered last fall, which now runs through January 2027 alongside $30 billion in tariff cuts on both sides. — Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 19 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for truce

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English trewes, plural of trewe agreement, from Old English trēow fidelity; akin to Old English trēowe faithful — more at true entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1569, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of truce was in the 13th century

Phrases Containing truce

Rhymes for truce

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Browse Nearby Words

Trubetzkoyan
truce
truceless
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Cite this Entry

“Truce.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/truce. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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Kids Definition

truce

noun
ˈtrüs
1
: a temporary stopping of fighting (as in a war)
2
: a short rest especially from something unpleasant

More from Merriam-Webster on truce

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about truce

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