ceasefire

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noun

In warfare, an agreed end to hostilities for a specific purpose. (Typically only temporary).

“Negotiators mediated a ceasefire.”

OriginEnglish fire ← Middle English fyr ← Old English fȳr →
Less commonScrabble 14
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Meanings

nounceasefire (plural ceasefires)

plural ceasefires · alternative cease-fire · alternative cease fire

  1. In warfare, an agreed end to hostilities for a specific purpose. (Typically only temporary).

    Negotiators mediated a ceasefire.

    3 more examples

    The rebels agreed to a ceasefire while the peace talks were underway.

    But residents say steady Russian military pressure – combined now with an American president’s apparent parroting of Kremlin talking points about the war, and his push for a ceasefire that could include Ukrainian territorial losses – means Russia is also winning in a different way, by escalating Ukrainian anxiety.

    2025 February 21, Scott Peterson, “Once-occupied Ukraine towns try to stay defiant amid fear over Russia gains”, in The Christian Science Monitor, archived from the original on 28 Feb 2025

    Putin’s answered by simply stating he did not believe Ukraine had honored the previous ceasefires Moscow had unilaterally called, and that Kyiv has said Moscow never respected either.

    2025 May 10, Nick Paton Walsh, “Ukraine ceasefire call is aimed at forcing Putin to reveal his war goals to Trump”, in CNN, archived from the original on 25 May 2025

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
armisticetruce

Origin

  1. Latincēdō
  2. Latincessō
  3. Middle Frenchcesser
  4. Middle Englishcesen
  5. Englishcease
  6. Proto-Indo-European*péh₂wr̥
  7. Proto-Germanic*fōr
  8. Proto-West Germanic*fuir
  9. Old Englishfȳr
  10. Middle Englishfyr
  11. Englishfire
  12. Englishceasefire

From cease + fire.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Afrikaans vuurstaking, wapenstilstand
  • vuurstakingin warfare, an agreed end to hostilities for a specific purpose
  • wapenstilstandin warfare, an agreed end to hostilities for a specific purpose
  • skietstilstandin warfare, an agreed end to hostilities for a specific purpose
Ancient Greek ἀνακωχή
  • ἀνακωχή (anakōkhḗ)in warfare, an agreed end to hostilities for a specific purpose
Arabic هُدْنَة, وَقْفُ نَار
  • هُدْنَة (hudna)in warfare, an agreed end to hostilities for a specific purpose
  • وَقْفُ نَار (waqfu nār)in warfare, an agreed end to hostilities for a specific purpose
  • وَقْفُ إِطْلَاقِ نَار (waqfu ʔiṭlāqi nār)in warfare, an agreed end to hostilities for a specific purpose
Basque su-eten
  • su-etenin warfare, an agreed end to hostilities for a specific purpose
Bengali যুদ্ধবিরতি
  • যুদ্ধবিরতি (juddhobiroti)in warfare, an agreed end to hostilities for a specific purpose
Bulgarian прими́рие, прекратя́ване на о́гъня
  • прими́рие (primírie)in warfare, an agreed end to hostilities for a specific purpose
  • прекратя́ване на о́гъня (prekratjávane na ógănja)in warfare, an agreed end to hostilities for a specific purpose
Catalan alto el foc
  • alto el focin warfare, an agreed end to hostilities for a specific purpose
Chinese Cantonese 停火, 休戰 /休战
  • 停火 (ting⁴ fo²)in warfare, an agreed end to hostilities for a specific purpose
  • 休戰 /休战 (jau¹ zin³)in warfare, an agreed end to hostilities for a specific purpose
  • 停戰 /停战 (ting⁴ zin³)in warfare, an agreed end to hostilities for a specific purpose
Chinese Mandarin 停火, 休戰 /休战
  • 停火 (tínghuǒ)in warfare, an agreed end to hostilities for a specific purpose
  • 休戰 /休战 (xiūzhàn)in warfare, an agreed end to hostilities for a specific purpose
  • 停戰 /停战 (tíngzhàn)in warfare, an agreed end to hostilities for a specific purpose
Czech příměří
  • příměříin warfare, an agreed end to hostilities for a specific purpose
Danish våbenhvile
  • våbenhvilein warfare, an agreed end to hostilities for a specific purpose
Dutch staakt-het-vuren, wapenstilstand
  • staakt-het-vurenin warfare, an agreed end to hostilities for a specific purpose
  • wapenstilstandin warfare, an agreed end to hostilities for a specific purpose
  • vuurstakingin warfare, an agreed end to hostilities for a specific purpose
Esperanto militpaŭzo
  • militpaŭzoin warfare, an agreed end to hostilities for a specific purpose
Estonian relvarahu
  • relvarahuin warfare, an agreed end to hostilities for a specific purpose
Finnish aselepo
  • aselepoin warfare, an agreed end to hostilities for a specific purpose
French cessez-le-feu, trêve
  • cessez-le-feuin warfare, an agreed end to hostilities for a specific purpose
  • trêvein warfare, an agreed end to hostilities for a specific purpose
German Waffenstillstand, Feuerpause
  • Waffenstillstandin warfare, an agreed end to hostilities for a specific purpose
  • Feuerpausein warfare, an agreed end to hostilities for a specific purpose
  • Feuereinstellungin warfare, an agreed end to hostilities for a specific purpose
Greek εκεχειρία, ανακωχή
  • εκεχειρία (ekecheiría)in warfare, an agreed end to hostilities for a specific purpose
  • ανακωχή (anakochí)in warfare, an agreed end to hostilities for a specific purpose
  • κατάπαυση του πυρός (katápafsi tou pyrós)in warfare, an agreed end to hostilities for a specific purpose
Hebrew הַפְסָקַת־אֵשׁ, שְׁבִיתַת נֶשֶׁק
  • הַפְסָקַת־אֵשׁ (hafsakát-ésh)in warfare, an agreed end to hostilities for a specific purpose
  • שְׁבִיתַת נֶשֶׁק (sh'vitát néshek)in warfare, an agreed end to hostilities for a specific purpose
Hindi युद्धविराम
  • युद्धविराम (yuddhavirām)in warfare, an agreed end to hostilities for a specific purpose
Hungarian tűzszünet, fegyverszünet
  • tűzszünetin warfare, an agreed end to hostilities for a specific purpose
  • fegyverszünetin warfare, an agreed end to hostilities for a specific purpose
Icelandic vopnahlé
  • vopnahléin warfare, an agreed end to hostilities for a specific purpose
Indonesian gencatan senjata
  • gencatan senjatain warfare, an agreed end to hostilities for a specific purpose
Irish sos cogaidh
  • sos cogaidhin warfare, an agreed end to hostilities for a specific purpose
Italian cessate il fuoco, armistizio
  • cessate il fuocoin warfare, an agreed end to hostilities for a specific purpose
  • armistizioin warfare, an agreed end to hostilities for a specific purpose
Japanese 停戦, 休戦
  • 停戦 (teisen)in warfare, an agreed end to hostilities for a specific purpose
  • 休戦 (kyūsen)in warfare, an agreed end to hostilities for a specific purpose
Korean 정전, 휴전
  • 정전 (jeongjeon)in warfare, an agreed end to hostilities for a specific purpose
  • 휴전 (hyujeon)in warfare, an agreed end to hostilities for a specific purpose
Latin guerra recrēdūta
  • guerra recrēdūtain warfare, an agreed end to hostilities for a specific purpose
Latvian uguns pārtraukšana
  • uguns pārtraukšanain warfare, an agreed end to hostilities for a specific purpose
Lithuanian ugnies nutraukimas
  • ugnies nutraukimasin warfare, an agreed end to hostilities for a specific purpose
Malay gencatan senjata
  • gencatan senjatain warfare, an agreed end to hostilities for a specific purpose
Norwegian Bokmål våpenhvile
  • våpenhvilein warfare, an agreed end to hostilities for a specific purpose
Polish zawieszenie broni, rozejm
  • zawieszenie broniin warfare, an agreed end to hostilities for a specific purpose
  • rozejmin warfare, an agreed end to hostilities for a specific purpose
Portuguese cessar-fogo, armistício
  • cessar-fogoin warfare, an agreed end to hostilities for a specific purpose
  • armistícioin warfare, an agreed end to hostilities for a specific purpose
  • tréguain warfare, an agreed end to hostilities for a specific purpose
Romanian încetare a focului, armistițiu
  • încetare a foculuiin warfare, an agreed end to hostilities for a specific purpose
  • armistițiuin warfare, an agreed end to hostilities for a specific purpose
Russian прекраще́ние огня́, переми́рие
  • прекраще́ние огня́ (prekraščénije ognjá)in warfare, an agreed end to hostilities for a specific purpose
  • переми́рие (peremírije)in warfare, an agreed end to hostilities for a specific purpose
Scottish Gaelic fois-losgaidh
  • fois-losgaidhin warfare, an agreed end to hostilities for a specific purpose
Slovak prímerie
  • prímeriein warfare, an agreed end to hostilities for a specific purpose
Spanish alto el fuego, cese el fuego
  • alto el fuegoin warfare, an agreed end to hostilities for a specific purpose
  • cese el fuegoin warfare, an agreed end to hostilities for a specific purpose
  • cesación del fuegoin warfare, an agreed end to hostilities for a specific purpose
Swahili usitishaji, usitishaji mapigano
  • usitishajiin warfare, an agreed end to hostilities for a specific purpose
  • usitishaji mapiganoin warfare, an agreed end to hostilities for a specific purpose
  • usitishaji vitain warfare, an agreed end to hostilities for a specific purpose
Swedish vapenvila
  • vapenvilain warfare, an agreed end to hostilities for a specific purpose
Tagalog tigil-putukan
  • tigil-putukanin warfare, an agreed end to hostilities for a specific purpose
Thai การพักรบ, การหยุดยิง
  • การพักรบ (gaan-pák-róp)in warfare, an agreed end to hostilities for a specific purpose
  • การหยุดยิง (gaan-yùt-ying)in warfare, an agreed end to hostilities for a specific purpose
Turkish ateşkes
  • ateşkesin warfare, an agreed end to hostilities for a specific purpose
Ukrainian припине́ння вогню́, переми́р'я
  • припине́ння вогню́ (prypynénnja vohnjú)in warfare, an agreed end to hostilities for a specific purpose
  • переми́р'я (peremýrʺja)in warfare, an agreed end to hostilities for a specific purpose
Urdu جَن٘گ بَنْدی
  • جَن٘گ بَنْدی (jaṅg bandī)in warfare, an agreed end to hostilities for a specific purpose
Vietnamese lệnh ngừng bắn, đình chiến
  • lệnh ngừng bắnin warfare, an agreed end to hostilities for a specific purpose
  • đình chiếnin warfare, an agreed end to hostilities for a specific purpose
Cite this entry
APA

ceasefire. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ceasefire

MLA

“ceasefire.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ceasefire. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “ceasefire,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ceasefire.

Source: ceasefire on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.