cease-fire

/sis ˌfaɪər/

/ˈsisfaɪə/

When two warring countries take a short break from killing each other's soldiers, it's a cease-fire. Often part of peace talks, a cease-fire is a temporary pause in a battle.

Any time a commander orders troops to stop firing their weapons, that's a cease-fire. The noun, in fact, comes from a military command: "Cease fire!" Cease means "stop," from the Latin cessare, "go slow or leave off." Another name for a cease-fire is a truce; it can be an informal agreement to delay any violence for the time being, or part of an official treaty between nations and the end of a war.

Definitions of cease-fire

1. noun

   a state of peace agreed to between opponents so they can discuss peace terms
   synonyms: armistice, truce

   type of:

   peace

   the state prevailing during the absence of war