olive branch

noun

1

: a branch of the olive tree especially when used as a symbol of peace

2

: an offer or gesture of conciliation or goodwill

Examples of olive branch in a Sentence

The winner extended an olive branch to his opponent by calling him a great player.

Recent Examples on the Web

Ahead of the trophy celebrations, the Spanish extended an olive branch, providing a guard of honour to their opponents. — Adam Crafton, New York Times, 20 July 2026

The flip side of the coin shows an eagle holding arrows in one talon and olive branches in the other. — Maegan Vazquez, Washington Post, 15 July 2026

Earlier this year, dropping the olive branch from the dime’s design. — Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 15 July 2026

While the king, 77, made time to meet with his estranged younger son, there was no olive branch in sight for the brothers, who at one point last week were just 12 miles apart. — Jennifer Hassan, USA Today, 14 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for olive branch

• avalanche
• blanch
• cranch
• manche
• ranch
• stanch
• tranche

Kids Definition

olive branch

noun

1

: a branch of the olive tree especially when used as a symbol of peace

2

: something meant to show intentions of peace or goodwill

made a call to his former friend as an olive branch