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
To enforce the fragile ceasefire in Gaza?
—
Kerry Breen, CBS News, 3 Jan. 2026
Then there's false starts on peace attempts in Ukraine and a tenuous ceasefire in the Middle East.
—Domenico Montanaro, NPR, 3 Jan. 2026
As 2026 begins, the shaky 12-week-old ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has largely ended large-scale Israeli bombardment of Gaza.
—Wafaa Shurafa, Los Angeles Times, 2 Jan. 2026
The ceasefire has started a new era in Gaza.
—Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 2 Jan. 2026
Although a ceasefire has been reached, humanitarian aid is still desperately needed.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 2 Jan. 2026
Zelenskyy has rejected any territorial concessions and instead proposed a demilitarized zone, to be confirmed by a referendum if Russia agrees to a ceasefire lasting at least 60 days.
—Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 31 Dec. 2025
As part of Saturday’s deal to halt the fighting, Thailand agreed to release the 18 soldiers in its custody if the ceasefire held for 72 hours.
—CNN Money, 31 Dec. 2025
While the ceasefire technically continued into December 2025, tensions and violence in the region remained high.
—Kyler Alvord, PEOPLE, 31 Dec. 2025
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.
Kerry Breen, CBS News, 3 Jan. 2026
Then there's false starts on peace attempts in Ukraine and a tenuous ceasefire in the Middle East.
—Domenico Montanaro, NPR, 3 Jan. 2026
As 2026 begins, the shaky 12-week-old ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has largely ended large-scale Israeli bombardment of Gaza.
—Wafaa Shurafa, Los Angeles Times, 2 Jan. 2026
The ceasefire has started a new era in Gaza.
—Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 2 Jan. 2026
Although a ceasefire has been reached, humanitarian aid is still desperately needed.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 2 Jan. 2026
Zelenskyy has rejected any territorial concessions and instead proposed a demilitarized zone, to be confirmed by a referendum if Russia agrees to a ceasefire lasting at least 60 days.
—Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 31 Dec. 2025
As part of Saturday’s deal to halt the fighting, Thailand agreed to release the 18 soldiers in its custody if the ceasefire held for 72 hours.
—CNN Money, 31 Dec. 2025
While the ceasefire technically continued into December 2025, tensions and violence in the region remained high.
—Kyler Alvord, PEOPLE, 31 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ceasefire.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ceasefire. Accessed 5 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share