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

Synonyms of ceasefire

• truce
• accord
• armistice

Examples of ceasefire in a Sentence

the two armies declared a ceasefire for the holiday

Recent Examples on the Web

Despite an October ceasefire, near-daily Israeli operations have killed more than 1,000 Palestinians as negotiations remain stalled. — Wafaa Shurafa, Los Angeles Times, 12 July 2026

The ceasefire framework explicitly designates Iran and Oman to negotiate the strategic waterway’s future management, giving Araghchi’s visit to Muscat particular significance. — Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 11 July 2026

Trump said early Friday said that the United States and Iran have agreed to continue peace talks, even though the ceasefire established by last month's preliminary deal has been scrapped. — Azhar Sukri, CNBC, 11 July 2026

The attack, which occurred early Sunday local time, comes after the collapse of a fragile ceasefire between the United States and Iran. — Carson Swick, The Washington Examiner, 11 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1844, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for ceasefire

• acquire
• attire
• bonfire
• campfire
• conspire
• desire
• enquire
• entire
• greenbrier
• gunfire
• homebuyer
• misfire

Kids Definition

cease-fire

noun

ˈsēs-ˈfī(ə)r

: a temporary stopping of warfare