olive branch

noun

Updated on: 14 Apr 2018

Definition of olive branch

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

2 : an offer or gesture of conciliation or goodwill

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Examples of olive branch in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples of olive branch from the Web

Most notable, as politics are concerned, is his implicit olive branch to Democrats, who will be in a contest to see who can extract the most sweat from his brow.

— gregory krieg, CNN, "Don't want to get rolled on Facebook? Know your own politics.," 10 Apr. 2018
Late night host Jimmy Kimmel is offering an olive branch of sorts to Fox News host Sean Hannity.

— leada gore, AL.com, "Jimmy Kimmel apologizes to Sean Hannity after Twitter feud over First Lady," 8 Apr. 2018
Even Saint-Gaudens’s allegorical figures, such as the Shaw Memorial’s angel carrying olive branches and poppies, symbols of peace and death, have a touch of grit.

— cate mcquaid, BostonGlobe.com, "Bringing realism to the heroic in ‘The Sculpture of Augustus Saint-Gaudens’," 6 Apr. 2018
With Americans growing weary of the Vietnam War and increasingly discontent with his leadership, Johnson — in his characteristically solemn style — reiterated why the United States was fighting there and offered an olive branch to North Vietnam.

— robert mitchell, Washington Post, "A ‘Pearl Harbor in politics’: LBJ’s stunning decision not to seek reelection," 31 Mar. 2018
After weeks of vocal criticism from each side in the talks and the union’s decision to mount a petition campaign for a referendum on the city charter, Steele sees his proposal as an olive branch.

— josh baugh, San Antonio Express-News, "Fire union boss up for informal contract talks with city," 30 Mar. 2018
Kim extended an olive branch of his own in January, vowing to make improved relations one of his top priorities for the year.

— Washington Post, "Kim Jong Un’s China visit may be start of his world travels," 28 Mar. 2018
Alongside tariffs, Beijing plans extend an olive branch to the U.S., which has been calling for better access to China’s markets.

— liza lin, WSJ, "China to Target Trump’s Base in Tariff Response," 21 Mar. 2018
The iconic comedy, about a white, Midwestern, working-class family, is a purposeful olive branch from ABC to the real-life white, Midwestern, working-class families who helped put Donald Trump in the White House.

— refinery29.com, "The Roseanne Revival Just Might Make America Great Again," 20 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'olive branch.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of olive branch

14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

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OLIVE BRANCH Defined for English Language Learners

olive branch

noun

Definition of olive branch for English Language Learners

: something that is said or done to make peace or to show that you want peace : a symbol of peace

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See words that rhyme with olive branch Nglish: Translation of olive branch for Spanish speakers

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olive branch

Definition of olive branch

Examples of olive branch in a Sentence

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OLIVE BRANCH Defined for English Language Learners

olive branch

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