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A truce is a stoppage of fighting between two or more people or sides in a conflict, especially a temporary one.

The agreement, or treaty, that establishes such a stoppage can also be called a truce. When used in the context of military conflicts, a truce is often temporary and set for a specified period of time.

Truce can also be used casually to refer to an agreement between two or more people to stop arguing or engaging in some less serious form of conflict, like a pillow fight (not that pillow fights can’t get pretty intense).

Example: I realized the bad blood between me and Taylor was really petty, so we both decided to call a truce.

The first records of truce come from around 1200. It comes from Middle English trewes, the plural of trewe, from the Old English �ٰ�ŧ�Ƿ�, meaning “belief, pledge, treaty.” The words true and truth are based on the same root.

Truce is often used as a general term to refer to any suspension of conflict, especially between warring armies. So what’s the difference between a truce, a cease-fire, and an armistice? In general, all three terms mean about the same thing. A cease-fire is usually a temporary stoppage to an ongoing battle. An armistice often refers to a stoppage of all hostilities—the agreement to end a war is sometimes called an armistice. Cease-fires and armistices are both examples of truces, but truce is usually used on a smaller scale or in a more informal way. Both cease-fire and armistice sound official, but truce often implies less formality.

Truce is also used outside the context of wars and the military to refer to an informal agreement between two people to call off an argument or feud, especially one that has gone on for a long time. Such a truce is often offered in the form of a question, simply by saying, “Truce?” If the other person agrees, they can also just say, “Truce.”

Remember: just because two armies or countries or people have agreed to a truce doesn’t mean the conflict is over forever—some truces are only temporary.

What are some other forms related to truce?

• truceless (adjective)

What are some synonyms for truce?

• cease-fire
• armistice

What are some words that share a root or word element with truce?��

• true
• trow

What are some words that often get used in discussing truce?

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• war
• peace
• agreement
• offer
• argument
• conflict
• fight
• hostility
• suspension
• reprieve

Truce is often used in the context of war and other military conflicts. But it is also often used in a much more casual way to refer to an agreement to end a petty argument.

I only see army statement saying it offering a truce in Damascus & Latakia for 24hrs & 72 hrs respectively

— Sam Dagher (@samdagher)

The��Christmas �ٰ��ܳ�����(German:��Weihnachtsfrieden;��French:��Trêve de Noël) was a series of widespread unofficial ceasefires along the��Western Front��of the��First World War��around Christmas 1914.

— Little A- (@LtfiA_)

Nicky Minaj and Cardi B call a truce after a day of heated online feuding

— TIME (@TIME)

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True or False?

A truce is when one side in a conflict decides to stop fighting.